


Return to Arkham

by Mykael



Series: Arkham's Red Hood [7]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Family Drama, Family Issues, Hacking, M/M, Parent-Child Relationship, Past Torture, Teenage Rebellion, Teenagers, Torture, Vigilantism, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-09
Updated: 2015-11-15
Packaged: 2018-04-25 14:03:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 32,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4963483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mykael/pseuds/Mykael
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kaden inadvertently gets a taste of the vigilante life and decides he wants more, but Jason is adamant about keeping him out of it. Meanwhile, an old foe returns with a fiendish plan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. No Means No

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for the wait. Both this and Forged In Fire have been giving me a hard time. Writer's block and all. 1,000,000+ ways to go, but no idea which way to pick. x)
> 
> My readers voted in favor of Kaden being a vigilante 6 in favor, 4 opposed. I have a few ideas that may make both sides happy, but you'll just have to wait and see. >:3 Also this story will be returning to the series' roots, "Arkham". How you ask? You'll just have to wait and see.

“I said no, Kaden!” Jason shouted at the teen with Dick spectating on the side, ready to jump in if things got ugly. Kaden glared at his father and snorted at him.

“And why the fuck not?! You want to _keep me safe_? That’s a bit hypocritical don’t you think, _Robin_?” Kaden snapped back, crossing his arms over his chest. Jason’s jaw worked as his anger built, the comment meant to be derisive.

“I told you, I don’t want that life for you Kaden! You-”

“Well, maybe I do!” Kaden interrupted. Jason ran his hands through his hair, fighting the urge to punch something. He’d never hit Kaden, that was one thing that he’d never do, but _god damn,_ he wanted to hit _something._

“Well, you know what then?!” Jason growled, turning back to face his son. He glared at him and took a step forward, poking the teen in the chest.

“When you turn 18 and move out, you can do whatever the fuck you want!” Jason said to him, matching Kaden’s glare with one of his own.

“But until then, you’re still a minor and you’re still living under our roof, so you can fucking forget it.” Jason stormed off to his own bedroom to prevent himself from saying or doing something he’d regret. God damn, was he this defiant at that age?! Yes...yes he was. Worse, actually, now that he recalled. 

“Fighting with yourself isn’t so fun, is it?” Dick teased, coming up from behind him and wrapping his arms around him. Jason snorted.

“Fuck, I can’t believe I was that much of a defiant ass when I was that age,” he said flatly. Dick laughed and pressed a kiss to his neck.

“You were worse, remember?”

“You saying I got off easy with Kaden?”

“Mhm.” Jason chuckled in amusement and sighed contentedly, tilting his head to the side to give his husband better access to his neck. Dick trailed kisses up and down his neck, occasionally nibbling and licking the flesh, marking it as his own.

“Love you Jaybird,” Dick whispered in his ear, eliciting a little moan as his breath played over the man’s skin. Jason smiled and titled his head back to steal a kiss from the man.

“Love you too, Dickie-bird,” Jason replied, shoving Dick down onto the bed in a quick motion. But before they could do anything else, there was a knock at the door. Jason sighed in annoyance and rolled his eyes, helping Dick up off the bed as the two of them went to go see who it was at eight o’clock at night.

Jason padded through the apartment, not even bothering to pull on a shirt, and pulled the door open. There was a young man about Kaden’s age, standing there with glasses, dressed in a white band t-shirt, a black cotton jacket, and jeans. He looked a little nerdy with the glasses, but otherwise he looked pretty good, definitely Kaden’s type. A sly grin spread across Jason’s face.

“Hey there. Looking for Kaden?” Jason asked. The teen fidgeted nervously a little bit and nodded.

“Uh yeah...is he, uh, here? Oh, um...my name is Matt.” Dick chuckled in amusement from behind Jason; the kid was kind of adorable all nervous and fidgety like that.

“Kaden, you’re boyfriend is here!” Jason shouted, causing the teen to blush. Moments later, Kaden came out of his room, his own face beet red.

“I don’t have a boyfriend! Who’re you-oh, Matt. What’re you doing here?” Kaden asked, padding over to the door on naught but a pair of loose fitting jeans. Matt stared at Kaden, face flushed, and silent. 

“Yo, Matt, anyone home?” Kaden asked, snapping his fingers. Matt was snapped out of his reverie, blushing crimson. 

“Um...our, uh, date, remember? You said to drop by at eight?” Matt asked, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. Kaden stared at him as if he had three heads, until his memory clicked. He gasped and ran a hand through his hair.

“Oh...shit! I totally forgot! Dammit!” Kaden cursed, heading for his bedroom. Jason and Dick laughed at him and Kaden just shot a glare back at the both of them. 

Jason turned to the teen in the doorway and said “why won’t you come in? Miss Todd will be a while.”

“Bite me!” Kaden called back from his bedroom, earning another laugh from his parents. Jason and Dick sat at the kitchen table, watching this boy, Matt, carefully. Normally, Jason would issue a threat about treating his son right, not taking advantage of him, and so on and so forth, because he knew what teenage boys were liked. Kaden wasn’t his daughter, but it was still his fatherly duty to scare the shit out of his boyfriends, just in case they got any ideas. But this kid, Matt, he didn’t need to worry about. He was far too nervous and jittery for him to be concerned. 

“So, Matt. When’d you and Kaden hook up?” Jason asked curiously. Kaden came out moments later dressed in a white t-shirt, black cotton jacket, and sneakers.

“We didn’t. Not technically. He asked me out and I said yes. No biggie,” Kaden supplied. He stopped in front of Matt and gave a shrug as he extended his hand and pulled the other teen up off of the couch.

“Actually, it is kind of a big deal. You haven’t dated another guy since Jeremy,” Jason pointed out with a smirk. Kaden shrugged, since it wasn’t something he really thought about. He dated girls mostly, and Jeremy had been the first, and last, guy he’d gone out with.

“C’mon, let’s get going, huh? Before dad and pa get annoying,” Kaden said with a smirk, earning a laugh from his parents.

“It’s our job to be annoying,” Jason called after the teens.

“And embarrassing!” Dick added in.

Once the two of them were out of the building, Kaden followed Matt to an old, dark blue 67 Impala. He whistled at the car as he slid into the passenger’s seat.

“Nice. Very nice, I’m impressed,” Kaden said with a smirk. Matt chuckled a bit and flashed a smile at the other teen.

“My grandfather gave it to me,” he replied with a shrug, starting up the car and heading off down the road. Kaden stared out the window, letting his thoughts roam as they drove god only knew where. Matt hadn’t told them where they were going, but at the moment, he didn’t care. He was still somewhat put off that his parents refused to let him join them on patrol. And why not? He was well trained! He could hold his own, and if need be, he could ask Damian to train him some more! So what was the big deal?!

“We’re here,” he heard Matt say, snapped out of his reverie. Kaden’s head popped up and he looked to see a movie theater. A bit cliché, but it’d do for a first date. He honestly wasn’t expecting much from this guy because he seemed way too nervous and seemed to have very little confidence, and that was very much not Kaden’s type. So why did he agree to date the guy? Huh...

“A movie theater, huh? Interesting choice,” Kaden said with a smirk, leaning in close and wrapping his arm around the teen’s shoulders “hoping to jump me in the dark, hmm?” Matt blushed crimson and chuckled a bit but said nothing. They bought tickets to an action movie, and some popcorn and made their way into the theater. The lights dimmed as the movie began, Kaden and Matt taking seats up near the back; there were only three other people in the theater, which was cool because that meant less of a chance of someone getting loud and obnoxious during the movie, something Kaden _loathed._ Not that he was paying much mind to it tonight.

The movie progressed, with Kaden’s thoughts on how to convince his parents he could help. He _really_ wanted to be a vigilante like his parents; they did something that _mattered_. They were doing something to _help people_. And what was he doing? Playing gymnastics in a fucking high school team for petty trophies and awards, with plans to go to college for engineering. He was already pretty fucking good with a computer, so that part wouldn’t be so bad. But that aside, he wanted to be a hero like his papa. Like his dad.

At first, he saw his father as a criminal, but eventually he began to understand why he did what he did. And then, as he began rationalizing it and thinking it over, he realized in a way that, yeah, his dad really _was_ a hero despite what he or anyone else thought. A hero was someone who gave up their wants, their needs, their desires, to help others. And his dad did that everyday, giving up his own morals and virtues to play Crime Lord in order to keep the criminals of Gotham under his thumb and _protect_ people.

“You okay Kaden?” Matt whispered. Kaden was yanked from his thoughts and he glanced over at Matt and gave a shrug.

“Yeah, fine, just distracted,” he admitted. He sighed and turned his attention back on the screen, finally paying attention to the movie. He was also keenly aware of the fact that Matt hadn’t looked at him or ever touched him, save for that one moment he asked if he was okay. Had this guy ever dated before?

He didn’t have time to dwell on it when the movie came to an end. He sighed as he and Matt got up from their seats and shuffled out of the theater.

“Not bad. A bit cliché, but not bad,” Kaden told the teen, flashing him a smile. Matt smiled back at him and shrugged.

“I’m glad you had fun,” he replied. Kaden chuckled in amusement.

“So, you gonna kiss me?” he asked. Matt blushed crimson and looked at him as if he had three heads.

“W-what?” he squeaked. Kaden sighed, rolled his eyes, ran a hand through his hair. Wow, this guy was seriously bad at this.

“You don’t date much, do you? When someone says they had a good time on a date, that’s usually the part where you kiss them. Duh,” Kaden answered with a shrug. Matt’s blush deepened and then he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

“R-really? I uh...um...”

“Ugh, you’re hopeless,” Kaden said flatly, grabbing the teen by the collar of his shirt and tugging him forward. He pressed his lips against Matt’s and kissed him, slowly, sensing the teen’s nervousness. Hell, he could feel it, and the boy didn’t even seem to know what to do. So Kaden decided he’d show him; he swiped his tongue over his bottom lip and when his lips parted, he slipped his tongue into the teen’s mouth, deepening the kiss. It only lasted for a few seconds before he pulled away.

“Wow, you’ve got a lot to learn pal,” Kaden said with a laugh as he looked over the very flustered teen in front of him. Matt had absolutely no technique whatsoever and overall, was a pretty poor kisser. But Kaden decided he’d fix that himself.

“Look, not to bum you out or anything, but you’re not really my type,” Kaden admitted. Matt looked a little crestfallen at that, but Kaden wrapped an arm around his shoulders and led him back to the car.

“But hey, you want to be a good boyfriend right? So stick with me, and I’ll teach you everything you need to know.” But when they got back to the car, a not-so-great surprise was waiting for them; a couple of thugs were trying to break into it.

“Hey! Back the fuck off!” Kaden shouted, drawing their attention. They turned and one of them drew a gun and shot at him and Matt. Kaden didn’t flinch, but Matt shrunk back as the bullet missed; the guy had shitty aim. Now most, sane, logical people would flee and be scared when a gun was drawn on them. But not Kaden. No, all drawing a gun on Kaden did, was piss him off. If one needed anymore evidence that he was definitely his father’s son, this was definitely it; instead of running Kaden rushed forward as the guy raised the gun again, and drop kicked him, catching himself on his hands as the man slammed back into the car, dropping the gun.

The other guy pulled out a gun, but Kaden scooped up the one the other guy dropped and threw it at him, jumping over the hood of the car the instant he threw it and punched the guy in the face, grabbing up both guns and throwing them away. The two men shouted and fled from the scene.

“Yeah, you better run you sons of bitches!” Kaden shouted after them. He sighed and raked his hand through his hair, then looked back toward Matt who had a look of shock on his face.

“What?” he asked innocently. Matt stood up straight and continued to stare at Kaden. Finally he shook his head, breaking himself from his thoughts.

“You just...they had guns! And you didn’t even flinch! You took them both down like nothing!” Matt exclaimed. Kaden quirked an eyebrow and then gave a shrug.

“I’m trained in martial arts. Plus I was already kinda pissed. Pent up aggression I guess,” he replied easily. He slid into the passenger’s seat and gestured for Matt.

“C’mon, let’s get going!” he called. Matt shook his head again then slid into the car. He turned it on but noticed something out of the corner of his eye; Kaden’s jacket sleeve and shirt sleeve underneath, were ripped and his arm was a little bloody.

“You’re hurt I think you were shot!” he exclaimed, staring at it wide-eyed. Kaden looked down at the wound and snorted.

“Adrenaline I guess. Didn’t feel it. It’s just a scratch, don’t worry. I’ll take care of it when I get home,” Kaden replied, waving his hand dismissively. Matt looked at him, staring for a few moments before he pulled away from the theater and headed back to his apartment. The drive back was quiet, neither of them uttering a word. Kaden sensed that Matt was a little intimidated by him, which if he were honest, made him a little proud. And then he remembered his father’s comment _you’re a bad ass just like your old man_ and that made him grin.

“Here we are,” Matt called stopping the car. Kaden flashed a smile at the teen as he glanced over at him.

“Thanks. Tonight was alright, you’re not bad at this. But like I said, you want dating advise, you stick with me,” Kaden said with a cocky grin, hopping out of the car.

“G’night,” he called back.

“Night,” Matt called, pulling away from the building. He glanced down to the wound on his arm, only then realizing he was going to be in trouble. He could lie, but his papa was a living lie detector. His only option was to tell the truth and get it over with. He sighed deeply and headed inside the building; he’d have to face them eventually.

He slipped back into the apartment; all the lights were on and both his parents were curled up on the couch watching Netflix, his papa sitting snugly in his father’s lap, head against his shoulder and arm around his neck, and Star laid on his other side, curled up beside him.

“Hey Kade, have fun?” Dick asked without looking from the television. Kaden glanced over at his parents as he moved toward his room, hoping neither of them would look.

“Uh, great. It as fun,” he said quickly. And then it happened; his father looked over at him and noticed the wound on his arm.

“You’re bleeding. Are you okay? What happened?” Jason asked. Kaden sighed deeply and turned to his parents, both who were looking in his direction now.

“Some guys tried to take Matt’s car so I kicked their asses, no big deal,” he said with a shrug. Jason and Dick were both off the couch and Dick turned to Jason.

“He’s lying,” he said. Jason frowned and looked his son in the eyes.

“What really happened Kaden?” Jason asked firmly, crossing his arms over his chest. Kaden growled under his breath then sighed again, raking his hands through his hair.

“Er, well...they... _may_ have had guns,” he admitted and immediately both his parents’ faces turned to worry.

“What?!” the both of them called simultaneously. Kaden flinched at the sudden outburst and then when they both began hovering over him. He’d have been annoyed if it hadn’t been for the fact that it had been just over a week ago when he’d nearly _died_. In hindsight, perhaps taking on armed thugs had not been his brightest idea.

“What the hell is wrong with you?! Don’t you remember the last time you and guns were involved?!” Jason snapped angrily. Again, Kaden flinched. Jason raked a hand through his hair and shook his head, pointing to his son’s bedroom.

“Ugh, I should ground you for the rest of your life,” he growled. Kaden snorted and made for his bedroom without another word. Jason turned to Dick and asked “what the hell are we going to do with this kid?” Dick chuckled in amusement and pressed a kiss to his lips.

“Relax Jaybird. Give it time and keep firm on your decision and I’m sure he’ll eventually give up. You know how teenagers are, they don’t have a whole lot of patience. Plus, he’s your kid, so he has even less.” Jason snorted.

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Jason called, following Dick to the bedroom.

* * * * *

That night while Kaden lay in bed wide awake and trying to find sleep, he kept thinking back to those thugs he stopped earlier. More importantly, he remembered how much fun it was, and how good it felt to do good. The more he thought about it, the more he thought about what his parents did. And the more he thought about that, the more he realized _he wanted to be a hero_. And it was in that moment that he decided he’d find a way...


	2. Busted!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaden waits until his parents leave and then he dons his own gear and prepares for his first night out. But things don't quite go as planned...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delays. Real Life and all. Wrtier's Block is still kind of meddling too. I'm working on chapter 3 now, but I don't know when that's going to be done. Anywho, enjoy! ^^

Kaden spent the next few weeks carefully observing his parents’ routine; the best way for him to be a vigilante, was if they didn’t know. And the best way to do that was to make sure he knew the schedule, so he could minimize the chance of being caught. 

Tonight was his night, with both his parents preparing to go out on patrol, hey assumed he’d be at home finishing his homework. Little did they know, he’d already done it, and was now just waiting for the perfect opportunity.

“Alright, we’ll see you soon baby bird,” Jason said smoothly, kissing the top of his son’s head before pulling on his mask. Kaden snorted and playfully shoved his father away,

“Ugh, dad, I’m 16! Ew!” He joked, and Dick laughed, pressing his mask onto his face.

“Yeah, but you’re still our kid. No matter how old you get,” he replied. Kaden rolled his eyes, even as his papa pulled him in for a hug. If he were honest, Kaden still found it a bit weird to see his parents now openly prepare for a patrol. It seemed odd, but then he remembered how awesome it as that his parents were heroes!

“Yeah, yeah. You two should get going, or the criminals might get tired of waiting and go home,” Kaden joked, earning a laugh from his father. Jason stood in front of the window sill and looked back.

“Yeah, if only it were so easy. G’night Kade. Love you,” Jason called back. Kaden gave a wave as he pulled his ‘homework’ out from his bag and sat at the kitchen table.

“Love you too dad,” Kaden called back as the man disappeared into the night with his papa behind him. Kaden looked over his shoulder once they were both gone, already feeling impatient. He needed to wait at least ten minutes, to make sure they were far enough away to not see him when _he_ left.

Finally, when the ten minute mark hit, Kaden made for his bedroom and began gathering up his gear; simple things his parents would never recognize and which could easily be utilized for what he had in mind. He grabbed the blue Oni mask off his wall and pulled on a black hoodie, then on the opposite wall, he grabbed the red and gold bo staff his Uncle Tim had brought home for him from a trip to China a few years ago.

Just for the hell of it, his uncle had taught him the basics of Bo Staff combat. At the time, it seemed odd that his uncle knew how to use a Bo staff, but now that he knew that everyone in his family was a vigilante, it made perfect sense.

The Bo staff seemed like the best way to go, since he didn’t really have any other weapons. Or at least, none he had training with, like a pair of escrima sticks his papa had given to him one year. Kaden turned on the spot, pulling the hood of his black hoodie up and putting on the blue oni mask, bo staff in hand. He moved toward his dresser and pulled out a stun gun, something his father had given him for protection, and then deemed himself ready. The only thing left to do was to stuff his blanket with pillows in case his parents got home before he did, and once that was done, he left out his window.

* * * * *

The night seemed to be silent as Kaden prowled the streets of Gotham, looking for any hint of trouble. He stuck to the shadows mostly, and decided on a few things to pull his new identity (which he honestly didn’t even have a name for yet) together. Firstly, he wasn’t going to speak, at all, which would be a sort of psychological thing to anyone he came across. The whole silent treatment would really fuck people up. And frankly, it’d probably be more amusing than taunting and name calling. And second-

Kaden didn’t have a chance to finish that thought when he heard a scream. His head snapped in the direction from which it came and he raced off after the sound. When he arrived on the scene, a woman was being dragged into an alleyway by three men in dark clothing with lustful looks on their faces; he knew what they were thinking. But how to get their attention if he couldn’t talk? His entrance had to be dramatic, and-another scream tore threw the air-okay, fuck it. He’d just kick their asses.

Kaden ran after the men and whipped his Bo staff at one of their heads, sending him toppling forward onto the ground. Their attention was now on him and he stared at them, slamming the end of the staff on the ground firmly, adopting a proud, but aggressive stance.

The men stared at each other and then began to laugh as the third got to his feet, rubbing the back of his head and scowling angrily.

“What the fuck is this shit? Halloween come early?” one of the men taunted with another laugh, tightening his grip on the woman. She continued to scream and punch the man, but he turned and backhanded her. Kaden’s anger grew when he saw that, but he had to stay silent.

“And who the fuck are you supposed to be, huh? Grouchy Smurf?” Another of the men called, earning more laughs.

“Who the fuck cares, let’s just gut this little punk and be done with it,” the man who Kaden had struck ground out. Kaden merely held out his hand and gestured for them to come at him; that struck a nerve. The first man pulled out a knife and lunged in at him. Kaden lent to the side to avoid a jab, then brought his bo staff up and around, striking the man in the back of the head, sending him crashing into some trash cans. The other two traded looks before shoving the woman aside and joining their friend in combat.

Kaden backed a bit as they approached, watching and waiting patiently, just like Damien, his dad and his papa had taught him to do. Then one of them attacked and he ducked a punch, jabbing the guy in the stomach with the bo staff. The second attempted to stab him, but, putting his acrobatic skill to work, he flipped backwards to avoid the strike. The third man came at him, fists flying, landing a hit to his shoulder. He cursed himself mentally for not paying closer attention and then retaliated by slamming him in the head with the staff, knocking him out cold.

“I’m gonna kill you, you Halloween freak!” one of the men growled, pulling out a gun. Kaden didn’t need more than a mere thought before he whipped out his stun gun and shot first, dropping the man to the ground, gun clattering to the ground. The third man rushed for it, but Kaden knocked it away with his bo staff and followed up with an upward strike to the man’s jaw, knocking him over backwards.

Kaden rounded each of the men, making sure they were knocked out, then he looked toward the ally where the woman was coming to. This, he decided, was the perfect time to make his exit. He turned to leave when he heard the woman behind him.

“Thank you! Thank you!” she called in a choked sob before running off. Kaden smiled to himself, feeling good about helping someone. Suddenly, his desire for a dramatic entrance, the flashy costume he longed for, none of it seemed as important anymore.

“Shouldn’t you be at home?” came a voice from behind him. Kaden froze instantly, recognizing that voice and the _whoosh_ of a cape. Or rather a trench coat. Damian’s bat suit was a little darker than grandpa’s, with a dark gray trench coat and the usual black bat symbol on the front. 

Kaden chose not to answer, tried to play it off as the mysterious vigilante, but Dam - Batman - saw right through him. The older man placed a hand on his shoulder and spun him around, then leaned in really close.

“I know it’s you, Kaden,” the man said flatly, before dragging him into the alley. Kaden huffed in annoyance and pulled his mask off.

“So what if it is? You gonna rat on me?” Kaden snapped. Damian snorted in reply.

“I should. Dick and Jason didn’t want you out on patrol in the first place. And what’s with the ridiculous mask and bo staff?” he asked, quirking an eyebrow. Kaden huffed in annoyance and replaced the mask, attempting to push past his half-brother, but Damian grabbed him by the back of his hoodie and grappled up to a roof above, hauling Kaden with him. Kaden yelped in surprise as he was yanked into the air. 

When they landed, Kaden more or less fell back onto the ground and gasped for breath. After a few short moments of trying to catch his breath, he spoke.

“Ow! A little warning first you asshole!” Damian snorted again and hauled his younger brother up to his feet. He glanced over to his right and spotted the Red Hood approaching. He pressed a finger to his lips to silence Kaden, subtly gesturing toward the approaching Red Hood. Kaden’s face froze in horror, but he was thankful his mask was on.

“Shut up, don’t speak, and let me handle this,” Damian whispered. Kaden gave a little nod and the two of them turned to face each other, as if they were about to fight.

“Well, well, well, what have we here,” came the Red Hood’s voice from the adjacent building, arms crossed over his chest. He looked first at Batman, then at the kid in front of him. An amateur, dressed in civilian clothes and a decorative mask. Hood would have laughed if the kid were any older.

“Piss off Hood, I’m handling this one,” Batman snapped. Hood snorted and waved his hand dismissively.

“I’ve seen the way you handle things. I’m not about to let you beat the poor kid senseless,” Hood replied. Batman glanced over at him and laughed.

“Since when does the Red Hood care about anyone but himself?”

“Fuck off, Bats. I do more to protect Gotham on a daily basis than you do in a lifetime.” Kaden immediately realized what was going on; they were putting on an act in front of him, the strange new vigilante. Kaden would have laughed at the irony, if he wasn’t at the very brink of being found out by his father and on his very first night even!

“I’m just talking to the kid, now get the hell out of my face you glorified drug peddler,” Batman growled. Red Hood laughed in amusement and turned to leave. He paused, the glanced over his shoulder at the kid.

“I’d get out of the vigilante life now kid. Batman’s kind of an asshole,” Hood called back as Batman threw a batarang at him. He ducked it and leaped off into the night. Kaden breathed a sigh of relief once his father disappeared and then his brother shoved him.

“You’re lucky I’m in a good mood. You owe me for covering for your ass,” Damian snapped. If Jason found out, he would surely never hear the end of it. Kaden raised his hands defensively, bo staff in one hand as he pointed it off in the direction his father disappeared in.

“It’s all good, he’s gone now! and yes, yes, I owe you! Big time! Name it, anything!” Kaden replied. He cursed mentally when he realized what he’d said; anything. He was so screwed. Damian was silent for a few moments before he reached up and pulled off Kaden’s mask, ignoring the teen’s annoyed protests.

“If you’re going to keep up this vigilante act, you’re going to need training. The manor, after school, every day. Saturdays-”

“Sundays,” Kaden interrupted, excitement bubbling up inside him. Damian rolled his eyes.

“Fine, Sundays too. I can think of a few excuses that’ll keep suspicion off of us. I can’t believe I’m even agreeing to this,” Damian growled lowly, pinching the bridge of his nose. A shit eating grin spread across Kaden’s face as he patted his older brother’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry Dames, you won’t regret this, I promise!” Kaden said cheerily. Damian looked up and shot him a glare.

“First of all, you lose the earrings when you go out, got it? No identifying marks, that’s vigilantism 101.”

“Got it,” Kaden replied, popping off his earrings and putting them in his pocket.

“Now go home before Dick and Jason get back. You start tomorrow. Don’t be late,” Damian snapped. Kaden laughed and then raced off to the edge of the building, flipping down onto the fire escape and landing on the ground below. He replaced his mask, for caution’s sake, and returned from the apartment. At long last, his dream of being a vigilant was finally coming true!


	3. Training Starts Now!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaden heads over to the manor to begin his training!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for he delay. It's winter time and that's when my desire to write tends to wane. A lot. Winter time is the worst time of the year for me, as I tend to lose the desire to do a lot of the things I usually love to do, but I'll try to keep writing and getting the chapters out.

Day one of his training rolled around, a Sunday, and Kaden felt more excited than he ever had, but he had to keep a lid on it or he’d blow his and Damian’s secret before they even began. So he, impatiently, waited in his room for Star to come in and ‘wake him up.’ Sure enough the old dog came through his door, tail wagging, hopping up onto his bed. Kaden rolled over and looked up at her, and her face was right in his.

“Good morning girl,” he said with a smile, patting the dog’s head. Her tail started wagging again and she licked his face. Kaden laughed and scratched her behind his ears before pulling himself out of bed. He jumped into a pair of dark jeans and pulled on a black Nightwing t-shirt (he was a nerd like his papa) and padded out to the kitchen, rubbing the ‘sleep’ from his eyes.

Dick was wide awake and in a good mood, dressed in naught by a pair of lightning blue dorm pants, as per the norm and cooking breakfast. They were all on some biological alarm clock that Dick seemed to know by heart, so it was no surprise when they found he’d been cooking breakfast for them while they were still sleeping.

Dick glanced up at Kaden and flashed a smile. He flipped a couple of eggs and some bacon onto a plate, then grabbed the toast as it popped and placed it on the table, ruffling Kaden’s hair.

“Morning baby bird!” Dick said cheerily. Kaden smiled at his papa and sat down at the table, internally feeling incredibly impatient to get over to the manor and start training with Damian. But again, he had to hide it, hide his excitement, or his parents might get suspicious.

Kaden glanced down when he heard a whimper and saw Star looking up at him expectantly. She tilted her head and activated his kryptonite and so Kaden sighed, glancing back to make sure his pa wasn’t listening before feeding her a piece of bacon. She wagged her tail and ate it up, licking his fingers appreciatively before padding off to her doggy bed in the living room. 

Dick sat at the table across from Kaden and began eating his own food. He looked up at Kaden and flashed him another smile.

“So, Kade, “ Dick began, dipping a piece of toast in egg yolk “dad’s birthday is coming up pretty soon. He’ll be turning 40.” He took a bit, glancing up at Kaden and grabbing his coffee cup. Kaden took a bite of egg, mischief sparkling in his eyes.

“Yeah, you and him are getting old as shit now, huh?” he teased.

“Bite me you little brat,” Dick answered with a laugh. Kaden snorted.

“Pretty sure that’s dad’s job,” Kaden replied easily, making his papa’s face turn pink.

“You’re definitely your father’s kid,” Dick replied, face palming. Kaden grinned wickedly as he sipped his coffee. Dick looked back at his son again and his smile returned.

“I was thinking we could do something special for his birthday,” he went on giving a quick wave of his hand. Kaden glanced down the hallway, then back to his papa, but Dick just snorted and said “he didn’t get in until three am. Trust me, your father will be dead to the world for the next few hours.”

Kaden looked back down at his plate, grabbing up a piece of bacon and popping it into his mouth as he considered what his pa had told him. Something special for his birthday? But what?

“Well, you’ve known dad since before I was born. Why ask me?” Kaden said then. Dick leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest.  
“Because you’re his son, my son. Of course we want you involved,” Dick replied easily. Kaden smiled and mulled some ideas over in his head while he finished his breakfast. His father’s birthday was next week, so there was plenty of time for ideas. He didn’t have any at the moment, but he’d think of something.

“Well, we have a week, and I guess...well, dad and I don’t really get to hang out a lot anymore, so it’d be kinda cool, y’know?” Kaden answered with a shrug of his shoulders. Dick smiled at him and gave a nod in understanding. It was true that Jason had been really busy in recent months with his work as the Red Hood.

“Listen pa, I gotta go, Damian’s expecting me at the manor. You know how he is if you're late,” Kaden said with a small laugh, sliding out of his chair and heading for the door. He kicked on his shoes and grabbed his jacket and when he turned, his father was shuffling out of the bedroom, looking like a zombie.

“Morning dad,” Kaden called. Jason looked over at him, scowl on his face and Kaden snorted, holding back a laughter before heading out the door. But before he could get fully out the door, his papa called him.

“Hey Kade, why don’t you take dad’s motorcycle, huh? You got your license, and I don’t think he’s going anywhere today,” Dick called. Jason glared at him.

“No, he’s not taking my bike, I need it,” Jason snapped. Dick snorted.

“You’re tired as hell, you’re not going anywhere,” he replied. Jason snorted.

“Like hell I’m not.” Then Dick leaned in close and whispered in his ear and Jason grinned like the devil. Kaden shuddered at the look on his father’s face, a bit afraid to know what he had been told.

“Keys are by the door,” Dick called. Kaden looked up at the wall beside the door and grabbed the keys off the wall.

“Thanks pa! Don’t worry dad, I’ll take good care of it!” Kaden called with a huge grin on his face; he’d only gotten to drive the motorcycle once before, ever. His father had let him after a back and forth with Dick and Kaden decided that day that he loved motorcycles.

So Kaden detached the sidecar and happily hopped onto the bike, revving the engine a bit before taking off down the street. It didn’t take him long to reach the manor, maybe five minutes tops, which was a little sad; he was kind of hoping for a longer drive. But when he arrived, Alfred seemed to be expecting him. As soon as he parked the bike the door swung open and the old butler stood there with a smile on his face.

“Heya Alf!” Kaden called, giving the man a hug. Alfred was in his 90s now, but apparently, retirement was out of the question. Jason had once suggested it, and with a straight face, Alfred’s answer was “I shall retire when I am dead, sir.”

“Good morning master Kaden,” Alfred said with a slight bow of his head. KAden smiled at the man and made his way inside, his grin growing wider when he spotted his Uncle Tim, talking with grandpa.

“Uncle Tim!” Kaden called. Tim glanced over at Kaden and his face lit up and Bruce’s too. Kaden approached the two of them, giving them both a big bear hug each.

“Hey Kaden, how’s it going?” Tim asked, clapping the teen on the back. Kaden chuckled in amusement and glanced over at his grandfather.

“Oh you know how it is; school sucks ass, dad’s overprotective of me, and Damian is-”

“Damian is what?” came Damian’s voice from behind him. Kaden turned and smiled at his half-brother.

“A pain in the ass,” Kaden replied, giving Damian a hug. Damian snorted and pushed him off; Kaden had picked up his hugging habit from Dick.

“Get off of me and let’s go,” Damian said flatly. Kaden snorted and followed after the older man, waving to his grandfather and uncle.

“I guess I’ll talk to you guys later!” Kaden called back, following Damian down into the batcave. He looked forward at Damian and added “and dude, you seriously need to work on your people skills.”

“I hate people.”

“I noticed.” Kaden followed Damian down into the training area, then onto the lockers where the gear was kept. Damian dug through it and tossed him a black Kevlar suit, followed by some gloves, boots, and a utility belt. Kaden caught it all and set it down nearby.

“Huh. Nice. How do you know it will fit?” Kaden asked. Damian looked him over, briefly, and answered “it’ll fit. You’re about your father’s size when he was your age, at least from what I’ve seen.” Kaden looked down at the gear and then back at Damian.

“Really? So this was dad’s gear?” Kaden asked. Damian nodded.

“Yes and no. It was supposed to be but...” he paused, not sure whether or not to mention the...incident...where Jason went missing for five months, kidnapped by the Joker.

“But what?” Kaden asked, quirking an eyebrow.

“Nothing. It’s unfinished, as you can see. Once you have your identity, then we can finish it. But for now, try that on and see how it fits,” Damian ordered. Kaden gave a curt nod and went about pulling on the gear. As Damian had guessed, it fit snugly. The Kevlar uniform was completely black and the gloves and boots were reminiscent of Dick’s Nightwing gear.

“Huh, nice. Fits like a glove,” Kaden said, looking himself over in a mirror nearby.

“You still have that oni mask?” Damian asked. Kaden pulled the mask out of his jacket and flashed it to Damian. Damian snatched it out of his hands and tossed it. Kaden gasped and chased after it.

“Hey! That was a gift from Uncle Tim!” Kaden snapped, brushing it off. Damian snorted.

“You can’t use that. But you’ll need to cover your entire face so Dick and Jason don’t recognize you. A domino mask won't work,” Damian said firmly. He then pointed to Kaden’s ears.

“And the piercings gotta go. And this-” Damian moved toward Kaden and ran his fingers through the locks of white hair hanging down in front of his face.

“This has to go to.”

“What, why? I like it!” Kaden protested. Damian snorted and shook his head, running a hand through his hair.

“First of all, emulating your father is a bad idea, because he’s a fucking idiot,” Damian snapped.

“Hey, watch it!” Kaden snapped, taking offense to Damian insulting his father. But Damian ignored it.

“Secondly, no identifying marks, remember?” Kaden sighed and ran his fingers through the white strands. He’d originally done it to be more like his dad. But over time, he came to like it because it looked cool.

“What about temporary dye or something?” Kaden suggested. Damian shrugged.

“That could work I guess. Next, you’ll need an alias.” Kaden looked back at Damian and then down at the oni mask in his hands. Some ideas began forming in his mind as he considered the possibilities. Then he grinned as an idea came to mind.

“How about “Ghost”?” Kaden asked. Damian frowned at first, mulling the name over in his head a bit. He scratched his chin, and paced a little bit.

“Not bad. But how about “Revenant” instead?” Damian asked. Kaden’s face lit up; he really liked that name.

“Or what about “Reaper”?”

“Or “Wraith”. Hmm, either way, you may be onto something with this ‘ghost’ theme. I like it” Damian suggested, nodding toward the oni mask in the teen’s hands. Kaden grinned widely as Damian slipped past him and gestured for him to follow.

“We can worry about that later. For now, your training begins. Now,” Damian called, gesturing Kaden toward the sparring ring. Kaden carefully placed the gear back into the locker and followed after his half-brother.

“First, we need to get a feel for your style, and then we can work on improving that. You’ve been training in martial arts by Tim, Dick, Jason, Bruce, even me, but everyone has their own style. Now let’s go, come at me!” Damien called. Kaden nodded and took up a fighting stance. He charged Damian and in one quick motion, Damian took him down.

“Well, it’s clear you’re definitely your father’s kid. Overly aggressive,” Damian said with a slight smirk as Kaden groaned from his place on the ground. Damian pulled him up to his feet and said “again, but this time, not so slow. And try not to telegraph your moves too much.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so another choice, I present to you! Choosing Kaden's alias! You the readers will choose his vigilante name!
> 
> Ghost, Wraith, Revenant, Reaper, or propose a name of your own! Majority wins! I'll combine the tally with that of Fanfiction's as well!


	4. Poltergeist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaden's combat training goes well, so well in fact that Damian has deemed him ready for his first real patrol.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So people voted and the winner with 2 votes, to 1 vote for everything else, was "Poltergeist". Sorry for the delays, my posting tends to slow down in the winter months. ~_~ Anyay, enjoy!

Kaden’s training was rough because true to his word, Damian didn’t hold back. Okay, maybe a bit but only because the bulk of his own training had been from assassins. Damian tried to keep the injuries to a minimum because it would not look good for Kaden to arrive home injured. He didn’t get into fights at school often so that excuse wouldn’t fly.

But after about a month, Kaden’s fighting technique improved immensely. He picked things up quickly, just like Damian had, but then again, he was the son of Talia Al Ghul. Damian himself learned quickly as well. 

What was more, was Kaden’s ingenuity was rather impressive. On some training days, he was tasked with taking down Damian, which was no easy feat. Kaden would switch things up when he saw that what he was doing wasn’t working and started adding Dick’s acrobatic skills into the mix. He still couldn’t win, but he always came pretty close, not that Damian would tell him that. He had his pride after all.

“Well, you’ve gotten pretty damn good,” Damian admitted, breathing heavy from their last training match. Kaden huffed tiredly, smirk on his face as he moved from the training area and grabbed a towel, wiping the sweat from his chest. This particular match had gotten heated quickly; defeat Damian, that was the goal. Instead, they fought each other to a draw. Or well, so it seemed. Kaden was keenly aware that Damian had still been holding back. That didn’t come as a surprise, since he had been training in armed and unarmed combat since before Kaden was even born.

“You’ve got your dad’s aggressive fighting style and Dick’s acrobatic talent. You put them to good use and create your own technique,” Damian said smoothly, grabbing up his own towel and slinging it over his shoulders. Kaden looked back over his shoulder at Damian as he headed for the showers down in the batcave, then turned, walking backwards.

“Oh yeah? What’s that?” Kaden asked curiously. Damian grabbed up a water bottle and took a sip from it, chugging half the bottle in one go. He put the cap back on the looked back to Kaden.

“A highly aggressive, yet highly agile fighting style. Your father’s is more ground and pound. Dick’s is more ‘move more, get hit less’. But yours is a mix of both. You use your agility and flexibility very aggressively,” Damian explained. Kaden gave a thoughtful look, then nodded, his cocky smirk returning to his face. Damian snorted and said “don’t give me that look, I still kicked your ass.” Kaden laughed as he stepped into the shower, while Damian moved over to the lockers.  
Kaden came out five short minutes later, pulling his shirt back on and caught sight of Damian with the Kevlar outfit he’d tried on that first day. Damian turned to him and showed him the outfit.

“I finished it myself. What do you think?” he asked. Kaden looked it over with a critical eye; it now possessed red trim with a third eye symbol on the chest. It had an arrow shape with a downward arch underneath, and a diamond dot in the center with a line tapering to a point underneath it.

“Wow, very nice. I still haven’t settled on a name though,” Kaden said with a dismissive hand wave. Damian grinned at the teen.

“Poltergeist.”

“What?”

“Poltergeist. That’s your identity,” Damian replied. Kaden arched an eyebrow at him, and the name.

“Poltergeist? You didn’t pick that because the German meaning is ‘noisy kid’ right?” Kaden asked with a snort. Damian chuckled in amusement and waved his hand dismissively.

“Most of the names we came up with were ghost-related. Poltergeists are highly aggressive spirits so it fits your fighting style. And okay, yes, you’re a noisy kid. Very noisy. So the name fits all around,” Damian replied. Kaden laughed at Damian’s response but nodded nonetheless.

“Poltergeist. Poltergeist,” Kaden said over and over, turning the name over in his head. He grinned and have a curt not.

“I like it, it fits perfectly!” he replied. Damian nodded and pulled a blindfold out from the locker as well with the same symbol on the chest in red and handed it to Kaden. Kaden looked at it and cocked an eyebrow.

“A blindfold? Really?”

“You’ll be able to see just fine. There are tiny cameras inside that will allow you to see as clear as day. It’s purely for psychological effect.” Kaden turned it over and saw what appeared to be lenses on the other side. He made a thoughtful face and gave a nod, putting it on.

“Huh. Nice. Actually, everything looks clearer and sharper. Colors are brighter too,” Kaden answered, looking around the cave. Damian gave a nod.

“Yes. It will automatically adjust the vision type depending on the environment. So when nighttime rolls around, the night vision will automatically kick on.” Kaden went about trying the suit on; it fit better than when he’d last tried it on, so apparently, Alfred had worked on it. It wasn’t surprising that Alfred or Bruce knew what they were up to. They were living lie detectors. What was surprising however, was that they had kept it secret from both Dick and Jason.

“So, what’d you think?” Kaden said, turning around a bit with his arms outstretched. Damian looked him over a few times, gave a thoughtful face, and then a nod.

“Looks good. Now, onto weapons,” Damian began. He tossed Kaden a blood red utility belt, which he strapped around his waist. Damian pointed to each compartment and said “smoke bombs, cryo grenades, flash grenades, lockpicks but no batarangs, wing-dings, or any of that crap.” Kaden looked up from the utility belt.

“Aw, really? Why not? Those are the most fun!” Kaden answered with a slight pout. Damian snorted and turned back to the locker.

“Don’t pout. You’re sixteen. Act like it. And because I need to come up with a completely different design for you. If you’re seen using anything like those, we’re both fucked, and I’m not in the mood to listen to Todd bitch,” Damian replied, tossing him a black escrima stick with red lights on it, and a black brass knuckle with his chest symbol on each knuckle.

“Agility and aggression are complimented with each of these. A staff just doesn’t suit you. First of all, your technique sucks, and second, you need something lighter and with a heavier hit to accommodate you. A staff doesn’t work. These will,” Damian explained. Kaden tossed the escrima stick a little and then slipped on the brass knuckle, testing the weight of both. They were light, but when he hit a practice dummy with them, he soon found they were also capable of inflicting heavy damage.

“Nice. Very nice,” Kaden said with a chuckle of amusement.

“You still need stealth and infiltration training, but in terms of combat, you’re ready for a test. You’re coming out with me on patrol tonight.” Kaden’s eyes lit up at that and he looked at Damian with an excited look.

“What, really?!” Kaden asked, excitement building. Damian smirked a bit and gave a nod.

“Yes. Really. But we can’t be seen leaving together, or it’ll look suspicious. Wait until Dick and Jason go out on patrol, then we can meet up. Understood?” he asked. Kaden gave a nod.

“And remove those piercings and hide that white streak. Remember, the most important rule is-”

“No identifying marks. Yeah, yeah. I got it. Don’t worry!”

* * * * *

Kaden sat at the kitchen table doing his homework and watching his parents suit up for patrol tonight.

“Dick, where the fuck is my-oh nevermind, here it is,” Jason called, pulling his helmet on. Dick rolled his eyes and pressed the mask to his face.

“Maybe if you opened your eyes and looked, “ he teased. Jason snorted and flipped him off.

“Bite me.”

“Maybe later.”

“Ew! TMI guys,” Kaden called from the kitchen table. Dick and Jason laughed as they made their way over. Dick gave the teen a one-armed hug from behind him and kissed the top of his head.

“See you in the morning baby bird. Sleep well,” Dick said to him. Jason pulled off his helmet and ruffled the teen;s hair.

“Yeah, and if you have anyone over, use a con-” Dick interrupted him by smacking him in the stomach. Jason flinched and grinned, hitting Dick back. Kaden made a disgusted face.

“Ugh, dad, I don’t want to talk about sex with you,” Kaden replied, earning a laugh from the man as he put his helmet back on. He ruffled the teen’s hair again and without another word, the two of them retreated out of the apartment, through the fire escape. Kaden waited patiently as the next fifteen minutes passed so agonizingly slowly before he rushed to his room.

He dug into his closet and pulled a lockbox down from a hidden corner on the shelf in there and pulled the key out of his pocket. Unlocking it, he pulled out his gear and quickly got to dressing up. Once he was fully geared up, he removed his earrings and applied the temporary black dye to his white streak (there was no way he was going to get rid of it!), he snuck out the window of his room. 

He had to employ his parkour skills because Damian refused to let him use a grappling hook because it was ‘too dangerous’ for him. It was true, he had no training with one, but c’mon, the grappling hook was the fun part!

Regardless, he got moving and moving quickly until, a short ten minutes later, he met up with Batman who dropped out of the sky from a grappling hook. He stopped midway through a run and tossed his escrima stick a little.

“Heya Bats. Was wondering when you were going to show up,” Kaden said with a grin. Batman snorted and waved his hand dismissively.

“Unlike you, I’m always on time. You’re just early. Eager, I take it?” he asked. Kaden gave a curt nod.

“Good. Now remember; no civilian names while we’re our. I’m Batman and you’re Poltergeist. Got it?” Batman asked. Kaden nodded again.

“Got it,” Poltergeist replied. And with that, Batman and Poltergeist were off on patrol. The two of them, utilizing parkour to get around. All was quiet until they came across a group of thugs trying to rob a convenience store.

“Ooh, fun,” Poltergeist said with a grin. Batman chuckled in amusement.

“Indeed. Let’s take them down,” he instructed. The two of them made their way down to the convenience store, in stealth. The men were about to leave with their ill gotten gains when Batman and Poltergeist showed up.

“Put it back. Now,” Batman demanded. And inevitably, instead of complying, the men whipped out guns. Batman was quicker, however, and disabled the first, while Poltergeist flipped over their heads the men behind, escrima stick flying. He slammed one in the head and dropped him. Another came at him and he ducked, punching him in the gut, then spinning around as he fell for an escrima strike in the back of the head to knock him out.

Two of the others attempted to escape, but Batman fired a line that wrapped around one’s ankles, and Poltergeist pursued the other one. Poltergiest flipped over his head and landed in front of him. The man stopped ans gasped and Poltergeist grinned.

“What’s black and blue and purple all over?” Poltergeist asked. The man frowned and went to grab his gun, but Poltergeist jabbed him under the chin with his escrima stick and followed up with a punch to the gut.

“You, when I kick your ass.” Poltergeist laughed as he dragged the unconscious man back to the others.

“Well, that was kinda dull. I was hoping for something a little more fun,” Poltergeist confessed. Batman ignored him and got to tying them up, then turned to Poltergeist.

“Relax, we still have a while longer. You’ll get your chance,” he replied. Poltergeist chuckled in amusement, flipping the escrima stick on his hand.

“I can’t wait.”


	5. An Old Joke

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poltergeist and Batman continue their partnership, and Kaden and Damian go to great lengths to keep their secret.

The routine continued on, each night Kaden would wait for his parents to leave on patrol before he'd leave himself, donning his Poltergeist gear and meeting Batman out in Gotham. It was November now, as the snow started to fall, and his stealth training was coming along well. Escapology was next on the list, though Damian had started training him in it alongside stealth. And after that, they'd focus on infiltration.

Poltergeist flipped through the air, avoiding some gunfire as he ducked behind some shipping crates. Batman dived from a crate above, down onto the thugs below while Poltergeist drew their attention. A new gang had been trying to sneak into Gotham and usually, that'd be the Red Hood's job, but he was busy with the gangs under his control at the moment; one of the gangs under his control was, supposedly, planning a coup.  
"Batman-" Poltergeist called, but he was interrupted.

"Time to die ya little punk," came a voice from behind him. He looked to see a thug with a gun and his just grinned. Before the man had a chance to react, Poltergeist threw his escrima stick and knocked the man in the head, sending him toppling over backwards. The gun went off, but Poltergeist made sure to stand clear and when the man was on the ground, Poltergeist knocked him out with a quick jab to the head with his recovered escrima stick.

Poltergeist rounded the shipping crate to find that Batman had already taken care of the rest of the thugs, their unconscious forms lying scattered all around him. Poltergeist let out an exasperated sigh.

"Aw, c'mon, you couldn't save any for me?" he complained, joining Batman down by the docks. Batman looked up from the scene around him and flashed the teen a smirk.

"You snooze you lose. Now tie them up while I go investigate the rest of this 'shipment'," Batman said, tossing Poltergeist a cable to tie them up with. Poltergeist huffed in annoyance and got to gathering the men up and tying them up. Batman returned minutes later with Nightwing in tow, and Poltergeist froze.

 _Shit, what's he doing here?! He's supposed to be in Bludhaven!_ His mind started to race, but he had to recover quickly so as not to appear suspicious. So he a deep breath and returned to his previous, nonchalant demeanor. He walked away from the group of men and casually leaned against a shipping crate, bowing his head, closing his eyes and crossing his arms.

"-the Falcone Crime Family again, it seems. They're like cockroaches back in Bludhaven," Nightwing said with a laugh, walking with Batman back to where he'd left Poltergeist.

"The Falcones have always been cockroaches. I fail to see how this is any different. Though it doesn't surprise me to hear they had a hand in this," Batman replied flatly, glancing back toward Poltergeist, who remained passive. Nightwing glanced toward him then and smirked a bit.

"You know, I'd heard a rumor that Batman had a new sidekick. Doesn't look like a Robin though. What'd you call yourself, kid?" Nightwing asked, approaching him, but Batman stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.  
"He's Poltergeist. He can't talk. Doesn't like physical contact much either," Batman said then. Nightwing glanced back at Batman, then to Poltergeist. He frowned but gave a nod.

"Alright. Must've been something bad then. I mean, to drive him to this," Nightwing said softly, and Batman simply nodded. Nightwing glanced back and forth between Batman and Poltergeist, then gave a shrug.

"Anyway, seems you got the situation handled, so I should be getting back to Bludhaven," Nightwing said nonchalantly, giving a shrug "nothing left here for me to do." He turned to Poltergeist and flashed a smirk, adding "you take care of yourself kid." And with that, he pulled out a grappling hook and vanished into the night. Poltergeist let out a deep breath and let his body relax.

"Jesus. That was close. And what was that whole thing about not liking to be touched?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow. Batman's expression remained passive and he shook his head.

"I had to say something to get him to keep his distance. I'm not very confident you'd be able to fool him," Batman replied. Poltergeist sighed and shrugged his shoulders.

"Probably not. But I guess it's a good thing he mostly sticks to Bludhaven then." Poltergeist and Batman walked away from the docks before hopping into the batmobile both, taking off down the dark street. Batman turned to Poltergeist then.

"You're getting good. But don't get cocky. You still have a long way to go." Poltergeist rolled his eyes and sighed heavily.

"Would it kill you to just compliment me, _without_ the lecture afterwards?" Batman snorted, then chuckled in amusement, a smirk spreading across his face.

"If I did that, your ego would swell up. You're as bad as your father."

"Bite me."

"Point proven."

They returned to the batcave minutes later and hopped out of the batmobile. When they arrived, however, Bruce and Alfred were both waiting for them, which was...unusual. Damian pulled off his cowl, and Kaden, his blindfold and they both stopped before the two of them.

"What's this about?" Damian asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Bruce and Alfred exchanged a glance, then they both focused their attention on Kaden.

"You need to tell them, Kaden," Bruce said then. Kaden didn't need to ask what the meant; they wanted him to tell his parents. Kaden snorted and waved his hand dismissively.

"I don't need to tell them anything! They kept it a secret from me all my life, so this one is mine," Kaden replied. Bruce frowned, but Alfred was the one who spoke.

"Your parents did what they did to protect you. Now, neither myself or your grandfather will get involved, this is none of our business, but you should consider-" Kaden interrupted with an exasperated sigh, joined by Damian as well.

"Yeah, yeah. Todd's a hypocrite and an asshole-" Damian began.

"Hey! He's also my dad," Kaden snapped, but Damian ignored him.

"-but Kaden is more than ready and has proved it these last few months. Besides, if it pisses Todd off, that just makes it more fun." Damian grinned, and despite being a full adult, he and Jason still had a rivalry of sorts. Damian didn't wait for a response and instead, pushed past the two of them, and gestured for Kaden to follow, and nothing else was said on the issue.

"You did well tonight, Kaden," Damian said smoothly, without turning around. He sat at the computer and began typing away, still not looking back at the teen.

"Now go home, you've got a good hour before Todd and Grayson get home," he finished. Kaden smiled at the compliment, feeling a sense of pride that Damian had finally acknowledged his skill. So instead of cracking a joke, or making a comment, and ruining the moment, he took it and ran with it.

He passed through the zeta tube, ending up back at his apartment building. From there, he climbed back up and through his window to see Star, waiting patiently for him on his bed. Her head perked up and her tail started wagging when he came through the window. It had taken a good week of training to get her to stop barking every time he came home.

"Hey girl," he whispered with a smile on his face, he tail wagging faster as he approached and scratched her ears. He dressed down and hid his gear safely in the lock box in a dark corner of his closet, and slipped into the bed, Star moving to lay beside him. With a tired sigh, Kaden closed his eyes, then Star huffed contentedly, laying her head across his chest, as the two of them found sleep.

* * * * *

Jason and Dick began to get a little suspicious, but Kaden had one advantage; he was their son, so they trusted him. And okay, he felt a little bad about betraying their trust, but he felt _good_ about what he was doing! And so here he was, as Poltergeist, on his first solo mission. Well, technically. Batman was still here with him, it's just this was the first time he had been allowed to go off on his own. Batman and Poltergeist were here to break up a child smuggling ring. They were passing through Gotham and were kidnapping runaways and homeless children to sell into slavery or ransom off to friends or family. Poltergeist had been tasked with intel gathering and this was as good a chance as any to test his stealth and infiltration skills.

So Poltergeist snuck through the building, which was supposed to have been abandoned. Cliche, but clever. There were three levels to the building and when he reached the bottom level, he found something much more sinister. The story about his his father had found him came to the forefront of his mind; he had been one of many children kidnapped for genetic experimentation, separated from the others for his 'genetic potential', and that's what he was seeing here, now. Children were caged and being 'catalogued' by men in lab coats. Poltergeist relayed the information to Batman, and that was when he gave the order…

Poltergeist burst from the shadows and attacked the scientists, knocking them out cold. A few of them escaped and managed to alert security. In short order, he heard men approached, and the sounds of gunfire over his comm link.

"Dammit, you're as subtle as a hand grenade! Stealth takedowns you idiot! God, you're as bad as-" Batman scolded over the comm link, but Poltergeist interrupted.

"Yeah, yeah, later. Mission now, lecture later!" He heard Batman snort over the comm link, but chose not to comment on it. Instead, he focused on beating down the thugs that were pouring into the room to subdue him.  
Poltergeist and Batman finished beating down the last of the thugs, which took a good half hour to accomplish, and contacted the authorities. This one made Poltergeist feel especially good, because he helped save children this time. He had a whole new appreciation for what his family did, and it made him feel good to be a part of it, even despite the guilt of keeping it a secret, and betraying his parents' trust the way he was.

"I'm going to investigate further, see what I can bring up on these databases. You see to tying up these thugs and getting the children to safety. Understood?" Batman ordered. Poltergeist went to protest, but before he could, Batman was gone. He huffed in annoyance and went about the task of gathering up the unconscious men and tying them up.

"Well, no surprise here; Luthor is at it again with the genetic experiments, even into his old age. The man doesn't know when to quit, I'll give him that," came Batman's voice over the comm link. Poltergeist snorted, but said nothing. He didn't know much about Lex Luthor, except for the fact that he was the CEO of Luthor Corp, filthy rich, corrupt to the core, and a complete egomaniac.

"You know, you'd think after getting his ass kicked for, what, thirty years now? He'd learn his lesson. I guess some people are just masochists," Poltergeist said smoothly, earning a slight chuckle from Batman.

"I heard that. You chuckled. Batman is not supposed to chuckle."

"Shut up and do your job." Poltergeist laughed in amusement and went about finishing up his job with the thugs. He finished tying the last of them up and clapped his hands together, grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

"Another night's good work," he said to himself.

"Well, well, well, what have we here? Little baby bird, all grown up and trying to fit into daddy's leotard?" came a voice from behind him. A very, eerily, familiar voice. Poltergeist stood up straight, his entire body tensing. His blood ran like ice in his veins as he recognized that voice. He remembered it from his childhood, remembered the look of panic and terror on his father's face that day. Poltergeist turned around to confirm his fear: it was the Joker.


	6. Disappointed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaden's secret is out and his father is...less than please.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little shorter than usual. Let's just say, writer's block is a bitch. ~_~

Poltergeist stared at the clown, who definitely looked older; you could see the age lines, even below all the makeup. But even nine years later, he still looked as sadistic as ever. He still wore that purple suit and that sick grin; he could never forget the clown. The clown who had kidnapped him and practically terrorized his entire family for days. The clown that used him as bait to lure in Damian. The sick psycho who tried to break his half-brother’s mind and turn him into... _him._

“You...what do you want?” Poltergeist asked, swallowing hard, trying to maintain his composure. The Joker laughed and paced a couple times in front of him.

“Oh dear boy, you can’t fool me! What was the name? Kaden was it? I know everything!” The Joker said with a sick laugh. He leaned in close and Poltergeist flinched backward, grip tightening on his escrima stick, but finding himself unable to act.

“But it’s so good to be back in Gotham again! This poor city has been without my unique brand of fun for, what is it, nine years now? I heard Harley has carved out quite a reputation for herself though!” The clown said with a giggle. Poltergeist watched the clown carefully, still frozen in fear.

“I’ll be seeing you again soon my boy. Very soon indeed,” the Joker said in a low, ominous tone, patting Kaden on top of the head before departing from the building. Poltergeist breathed a sigh of relief, his body finally relaxing as the clown disappeared.

“Hey, what’s going on? You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Batman said in an amused tone as he came up from behind Poltergeist. The teen jumped with a start and swallowed hard as he turned around to face Batman.

“I saw the Joker,” he admitted in a low tone. Batman’s expression became deadly serious and, like Kaden, his entire body tensed. He grabbed Poltergeist by the shoulders and stared at him for several long, tense moments.

“Are you sure? Maybe you’re tired, maybe-”

“No, I know what I saw. It...was definitely him,” Poltergeist answered. Silence permeated the room again and Batman just nodded.

“Nevermind that now. You go home, I’ll take care of the rest,” Batman said smoothly. And for once, Poltergeist didn’t object. He was too shaken up to do so. As he returned to the apartment building cautiously, he glanced down at his hands to see himself shaking, badly. It was no surprise, no secret, that since that incident with the Joker when he was only seven, that he developed a fear of clowns, a legit fear of clowns, and the Joker especially. Most people would laugh, but if they’d met the Joker, they wouldn’t be laughing. And besides that, he had only been seven. 

Kaden climbed up the side of the building as silently as possible before slipping into his bedroom through the window. When he turned, he froze in place, fear gripping him. Dick was laying on his bed with the lamp on, reading a book. Dick looked up at him and flashed a smile.

“So, did you have fun, _Poltergeist_?” Dick asked calmly, closing the book and sitting up on the bed. Kaden’s mouth dropped open as he pulled off the blindfold.

“Uh...” Kaden stared at his papa, dumbstruck because he knew he’d been busted. But how?! Dick got up off of the bed and crossed his arms over his chest, stopping right in front of the teen.

“You father came how early tonight, figured he deserved it after all the time he’s spent busting his ass lately,” Dick explained, as if reading the teen’s mind. 

“So...um...dad-”

“He’s livid,” Dick interrupted, a frown on his face. Kaden shrunk back a little at hearing that. He sighed deeply and leaned back against the wall, raking his hands through his hair.

“I managed to calm him down and convinced him to let me talk to you first. I also noticed Damian’s been helping you behind our backs,” Dick observed, looking over his son’s gear. Kaden went to try and explain, but Dick held up a hand to stop him.

“Don’t bother trying to lie, Damian is the only person in Gotham capable of getting gear like that.” Kaden sighed again and frowned; there was no digging his way out of this one. Dick sighed and ruffled his son’s hair.

“C’mon, may as well get it over with,” Dick said smoothly. Kaden quirked an eyebrow at him; he was surprisingly calm about all this. Regardless, he followed his papa out of the room where his father was sitting, in his Red Hood gear, sans the helmet, at the kitchen table. When he looked at Kaden, Kaden flinched; he could feel the anger radiating off of his father.

“Kaden,” Jason began. The thing was, he said it so calmly, and yet the way he said it, stung. Bad. Kaden didn’t feel as much anger in his name, as he did disappointment. Disappointment tended to sting a bit more than anger.

“You disobeyed me,” Jason said evenly, rising from the table. Kaden was now pretty scared; his dads wasn’t yelling at him. Why wasn’t he yelling at him?! The teen looked his father in the eye as the man approached him, stopping just a few feet away.

“I specifically told you, _no_. So you went behind my back, you lied to me for months, and worst of all...I _trusted_ you.” Ouch. And those words fell like hammer blows on Kaden. So yeah, he’d much rather just have his father yell at him at this point. He averted his eyes, staring down at the floor, ashamed. 

“You’re grounded for three months. I should make it the rest of your natural born life,” Jason snapped, anger slowly getting the better of him. He grit his teeth and clenched his fists. In all reality, he was furious, and if not for Dick, he probably would have yelled at the teen.

“Look at me. Kaden! Look at me!” Jason demanded. Kaden slowly looked up at his father, and soon felt even worse; he’d heard the disappointment, felt it, and now, he could see it. Damn.

“For the next three months, I will _personally_ be taking you to school, and picking you up. There won’t be any video games, no computer, no phone, nothing,” Jason said sternly. All the while, Kaden was still wishing his father would just yell at him and get it over with. Normally, he’d talk back, argue, the usual song and dance, but he didn’t know what to do with...this.

“I-”

“No excuses. Now get out of that gear and go to your room. Now.” Kaden retreated to his room with his head down. Jason watched his son go, still fuming, and when the door closed, he punched the table. Dick patted his shoulder, flashing him a smile.

“See? What’d I tell you? Worked like a charm,” Dick said smoothly. Jason snorted and waved his hand dismissively, retreating to the bedroom.

“Yeah, well, I’d feel better if I could yell, or maybe hit something. Jesus Christ, raising a teenager is a pain in the ass,” Jason said flatly. He sighed deeply and began to undress, pulling on a pair of black dorm pants before flopping back onto the bed.

“What would I do without you?” Jason asked with a smirk, propping himself up on his elbows and flashing his husband a rather seductive smirk. Dick grinned at him and dressed down for bed, then climbed on top of Jason and pressed a couple of kissed to his neck and collar bone.

“You’re probably be utterly and completely lost,” Dick teased, sucking up a mark on the man’s neck. Jason bit his lip to stifle a moan, one arm wrapping itself around Dick’s back, hand clawing at the skin there, as he pressed his lips against the skin of the man’s neck. But alas, they were interrupted by a knock at the door. Jason groaned and rolled his eyes.

“Not now Kaden, papa and and I are busy!” Jason called. 

“Uh...dad, it’s um...kind of important,” Kaden called through the door. Jason sighed and Dick rolled off of him and called him in Kaden opened the door and stepped inside, fidgeting in place nervously.

“Er...well...while I was...y’know...out-”

“Disobeying me you mean?” Jason asked sharply. Kaden flinched at the reply and just gave a nod.

“Well...when I was out, I uh...may have...had an encounter with the Joker.” And there it was again; that fearful look from nine years ago on his father’s face. Jason pushed himself up off of the bed and Dick watched him with a worried expression.

“Are you absolutely sure it was him?” Jason asked in a deadly calm tone. Kaden gave a nod.

“He’s hard to forget, dad.” Jason ran his hands through his hair and paced back and forth through the room a bit, but unlike last time, it wasn’t fearful; it was angry.

“We’ll take care of it. Go to bed Kaden,” Jason near-growled. 

“Dad, I-”

“Go to bed!” Jason demanded. Kaden flinched at his father’s angry tone, but offered nothing else and retreated from the room. 

“Jaybird, calm down, okay?” Dick said softly, wrapping his arms around the man from behind and kissing his neck. Jason sighed contentedly and leaned back against his husband.

“Fuck, Dickie, he’s been one for nine years, why come back now?”

“Don’t worry about it for now. Rest. Sleep. We’ll focus on it tomorrow. There’s nothing we can do tonight.” Jason huffed in annoyance.

“Fine. Now, where were we?” Jason asked with a seductive grin, quickly turning the tables and freeing himself from Dick’s grasp, then shoving him onto the bed.

* * * * *

Damian returned to the batcave, his expression and his entire demeanor completely neutral. Bruce and Tim were there talking, and had even greeted Damian, but the man didn’t even acknowledge them, passing right by and heading straight for the computer.

“Damian, what’s wrong?” Tim asked, following after him, Bruce behind them both. Damian sat at the computer and began clacking away at the keys, focused entirely on what he was doing.

“Damian, hey, snap out of it!” Tim called, waving a hand in front of his face. Damian shot him a glare, but Tim was unaffected.,

“What’s going on? Why so tense?” he asked. Damian sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“The Joker is back,” Damian said simply. Tim and Bruce exchanged worried looks.

“Are you sure?”

“No, but if it were anyone else, I wouldn’t be so concerned. Even in his old age, I’d wager he’s still as dangerous as ever,” Damian answered. Bruce stood beside Damian and patted him on the shoulder.

“You’re right to be concerned. I’ve been going head to head with the Joker for decades. Regardless of his age, it’s unwise to underestimate him.”

“I know. I’m going to have Barbara keep an eye out. We need to get him off the streets ASAP. If he’s even here.”

“Work under the assumption that he is. I don’t want to take any risks,” Bruce said almost immdiately. Damian gave a nod; the man knew the Joker better than anyone, so he was going to heed his advice.

“I may be old, but I can still fight. If it comes to that-”

“It wont,” Tim interrupted.

“We’ll handle it,” Damian added in.


	7. Dark Humor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Joker has been making moves against the Red Hood, both professionally, and...personally...

The next few weeks had been the worst of Kaden’s life, he was sure; every day, as his father had promised, he took the teen to school, and picked him up. He was then sent to his room, tv, computer, and gaming console all gone from his room. Take his console and his tv, but for the love of god, not his computer! And he had to endure this suffering for another two months?! 

A little known fact about Kaden Todd-Grayson; he was a computer nerd. A huge computer nerd. He’d built his own computer from scratch, programmed it himself, and even hacked the school’s computers once or twice. Okay, about a dozen times. He’d never been caught either, because he was good at hiding his tracks. Well mostly. His Aunt Barbara (she wasn’t really his aunt, but he still called her that anyway, since he had been three) had apparently discovered what he’d been up to, and lectured him about it. From then on, she was one of his favorite people, because she promised not to tell his parents if he stopped doing it.

So, being without his computer for _three months_ was agony! And on top of it all, his father had taken his gear away and stashed it in his papa’s Bludhaven apartment and altered the zeta tube to boot, to lock him out! He couldn’t go on patrol anymore, and even if he wanted to sneak out, he couldn’t. Worst of all, was Damian was a bit annoyed with him and had been giving him attitude for the last few weeks for getting busted. Apparently, his father and Damian exchanged some words about his secret vigilante life.

Personally, Kaden thought his dad was being overprotective; he’d been patrolling with Damian and going out on missions for months and _nothing happened!_ He was sixteen now, practically all grown up! He was fully capable of taking care of himself! But what was worse, was that the mere mention of the Joker seemed to have put his father on high alert. It was curious, because he never really knew why his father was so afraid of this guy? Just that he was. What had the Joker done that made him so...scared?

Well, it was time to find out. His papa was coming home soon, so he planned to ask him while his father was out on some emergency Red Hood business. So Kaden waited patiently, doing his homework at the kitchen table while he waited patiently for Dick to come home. And sure enough, the door swung open and in came Dick, garbed in a pair of jeans, a black t-shirt and Jason’s jacket.

“Hey champ, what’s up?” Dick asked, flashing the teen a smile. He sighed heavily as he flopped down into the chair across from Kaden and tilted his head back, sucking in a deep, exhausted breath.

“Good, considering I’ve been on the Amish treatment for a whole month now,” Kaden said flatly. Dick chuckled in amusement and heaved another sigh. He leaned forward against the table and reached across to ruffle Kaden’s hair.

“Hey, look. Your dad loves you, you know that right?” Dick offered, still smiling. Kaden often wondered how anyone could always be so damn happy and cheery all the time. 

“Yeah, I know, but-”

“He’s an ass, I know. I’ve been dealing with him since he was twelve. In all honesty, I was reluctant to agree with him on punishment, because frankly, I think you’re ready.” At that, Kaden’s head snapped up, taken aback by the comment. 

“But I understand where your dad is coming from. He-”

“Why is he afraid of the Joker?” Kaden suddenly asked. Damn, why did he just blurt that out? But judging from the look on his papa’s face, whatever it was, was definitely not good. Dick frowned and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. He chewed his lip a little, occasionally glancing back at Kaden, who sat there, waiting patiently. 

“Your dad...doesn’t like to...talk about that. Or even remember it, to be honest,” Dick finally answered with a sigh. Kaden quirked an eyebrow.

“Talk about what?” Kaden asked. Dick scrubbed his face with his hands and shook his head.

“Alright, look, it’s like this. Your dad isn’t afraid of the Joker per se,” Dick paused as he considered how to word this “he’s afraid of the Joker, but for you,” he finished, gesturing toward Kaden. Kaden leaned back in his chair and considered what his papa had just said.

“So...what happened? You’re saying he’s afraid the Joker would hurt me?”

“He would Kaden, and your dad has good reason to believe so. He hates the Joker, also for good reason.”

“Okay, but _what happened,_ ” Kaden pressed. Dick sighed again and raked both his hands through his hair.

“When dad was your age...when he was Robin, the Joker kidnapped him,” Dick began slowly. He took a deep breath; Jason may very well be pissed about this later, but he couldn’t lie to Kaden either. So he pressed on “the Joker tortured him for four months straight before we finally rescued him. Kaden, for a while, your dad was...he was in a dark place. What happened to him it...scarred him. I urged him to talk to someone, but he adamantly refused. And now...well, that’s one of my biggest regrets; that I didn’t press him to talk to someone.” Kaden stared at his papa, dumbstruck. So all these years, his father had this...hatred inside him? This fear not for his own safety, but for Kaden’s?

“The Joker is an evil person, Kaden. He’s killed women, children, he’s been antagonizing and hounding our family for years. Your dad isn’t just being overprotective, he’s trying to protect you from the Joker, so you don’t have to suffer like he suffered.”

Suddenly, it all made sense to Kaden. He still thought his dad was being overprotective, but he got it now. Dick sighed and cupped Kaden’s jaw, running his thumb over the teen’s cheek.

“Your dad is an ass, I won’t deny that, but he does the things he does to keep you safe. So maybe cut him some slack, yeah?” Dick asked, flashing the teen a smile. Kaden huffed in annoyance and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Yeah, fine. I guess he deserves it,” the teen muttered under his breath. Dick chuckled in amusement, the teen’s response so much like how his father would have reacted. Honestly, Kaden may as well have been Jason’s clone; they were so much alike, it was almost scary. He was living with two Jasons! It was just fortunate that he loved the both of them.

“Good! Now, I’ll order pizza and let you watch some Netflix, just don’t tell dad, okay?” Dick offered, winking at the teen as he moved across the room and grabbed up the phone. Kaden smiled widely; finally some technology!

* * * * *

Red Hood glared at his lieutenants as they explained that three of them and their gangs had defected. Hood was pacing back and forth while his men were gathered around a table.

“What do you mean they just jumped ship?!” Hood growled, slamming the table with both hands. The men flinched and exchanged glances, then Black Jack rose to his feet and cleared his throat.

“Just that sir. We have word that they’ve been working against us. There’s a new player in town, and they don’t seem to be after the drugs or the profits. They’re just causing chaos.” Hood growled and punched a nearby wall.

“The Joker. This has his stench all over it,” Hood growled. He paced back and forth while he men watched, thinking carefully. The worst part of it all, was he had no inkling as to why the Joker was here, why he came back. Would he go after Kaden again? Was he here to settle a personal score since Jason was the one who’d tried to kill him?

The possibilities were endless, but it was hard to prepare when you didn’t know your enemy, but no one could ever truly know the Joker. As a madman, he had massive gaps in his reasoning or logic that regular people didn’t have. He could simply be here just to stir up chaos.

The sound of maniacal laughter filled the room and Hood and his men looked around for the source. Hood knew that laugh, there was noway he could forget it; it was forever ingrained on his memory. The Joker was here, but for what purpose, was unknown.

“Well, well, well, still playing Crime Lord all the years later, are we?” came the Joker’s voice. Another laugh followed and that set all the men on edge, except Hood, who drew his guns.

“Why don’t you come out and face me like a man, you sadistic mother fucker?!” Hood shouted angrily. Another laugh filled the room as some of the body guards began searching the building warehouse for the sadistic clown.

“All in good time! Why rush? We should enjoy our little reunion!”

“Yeah, pass. I’d rather just put a bullet in your sick head and call it a day,” Hood spat, guns at the ready as the Joker’s shadow flitted by him.

“Aw, you’re such a party pooper! No cake for you!” Came the Joker’s voice again, followed by a giggling fit. Hood growled angrily and fired a bullet at what he thought was the clown, but missed, striking the wall.

“This is my show now, and like every good show, we need some drama! So I’ve arranged a little pick up at baby bird’s nest! This should prove quite entertaining!” the Joker laughed hysterically and Hood’s breath caught in his throat. Did that mean what he thought it meant?! But he didn’t have time to retort or threaten as a bunch of canisters dropped from the roof and started spewing Joker gas.

“Cover your faces! Everyone out now!” Hood shouted, rushing out of the building with his men behind him. As if that wasn’t enough, the entire building exploded, sending his Lieutenants sprawling across the ground; some of the bodyguards had still been inside when the place went up.

“Go! Send out word that the Joker is back and I want him dead!” Hood demanded, grabbing Black Jack by the shirt.

“Yes sir,” the man replied, but Hood didn’t wait for a response as he raced back to the apartment. He grabbed his phone and immediately called the manor. Alfred picked up.

“Alfred! Get Damian, tell him to get to my apartment, now! It's an emergency! I think the Joker is going after Kaden!”

* * * * *

Kaden and Dick laughed and the teen toppled over backwards as he fell into his papa’s lap, clutching his stomach. They were watching a comedian on Netflix and she was hilarious!

“Oh god, I might die laughing!” Kaden called while Dick dried his eyes. He looked down at his son the ruffled his hair.

“Careful, you look like you’re about to piss yourself,” Dick joked, earning another laugh from the teen. Kaden sighed as his laughter finally came to an end and he pushed himself back up into a sitting position. Their laughter came to an abrupt end when Jason burst through the door with his guns drawn. The two of them jumped with a start as Jason threw his helmet off.

“Jason, what’s wrong?” Dick asked in a concerned tone. Jason sighed deeply and went to close the door, but Damian came in behind him.

“Thank god you guys are alright,” Jason said in a relieved voice as he rushed across the room and hugged both Dick and Kaden.

“It seems to have been just a means to spook you, Todd,” Damian observed, looking around the apartment with a critical eye.

“What’s going on?” Dick asked again, gently pushing Jason away so he could look in his eyes. Jason sighed and ignored the question once more the press his lips against Dick’s in a deep, passionate kiss. Dick melted in the man’s arms and wrapped his arms around him.

“Ew, c’mon guys, I’m right here,” Kaden complained, shielding his eyes. The two of them parted, Jason’s expression still full of anxiety. Dick chuckled in amusement but his expression quickly fell when he eyes returned to his husband’s face.

“The Joker threatened to come here, to kidnap you and Kaden, so I...I’m sorry,” Jason murmured. Dick and Kaden’s expressions became serious and Dick hugged the man to his chest.

“Damn, it’;s okay Jaybird, we’re fine, see?” Dick whispered to him. Jason sighed contentedly, then pushed away to look at Damian.

“Sorry to waste your time. Now get the fuck out,” Jason joked. Damian smirked slightly and flipped him off.

“Fuck you Todd,” Damian replied, leaving the apartment. Dick chuckled in amusement and Kaden just laughed; it was always funny to see his father and Damian joke with each other like that.

“Dammit. This is getting ridiculous.” Jason growled, raking his hands through his hair as the door closed behind Damian. Dick and Kaden exchanged glances and then moved across the room to hug the man.

“Everything is fine, Jaybird. See? I’m okay, Kaden’s not hurt, we’re fine!” Dick reassured him. Jason sighed and ruffled his son’s hair.

“I know, I know. God dammit, this fucking clown,” Jason growled angrily. He parted from the two of them and retreated to the bedroom to get out of his gear. Dick followed him and closed the door behind him, then wrapping his arms around Jason from behind.

“You going to be okay?” Dick asked softly, kissing the man’s neck. Jason sighed and relaxed into Dick’s arms.

“I won’t be okay until that sick fucking clown is gone. For good.”

* * * * *

_Poltergeist gasped as a crowbar struck his head and he collapsed to the ground. He was tied up with barbed wire, beaten and bloody._

_“Well, that looked like it hurt,” The Joker mused. Poltergeist groaned and pushed himself up into a sitting position, spitting blood onto the floor._

_“Fuck you. When Nightwing and Red Hood get here, they’re going to kick your ass!” Poltergeist snarled. The Joker laughed and shook his head._

_“Oh, drop the ac, little birdy! Your daddies aren’t coming! At least, not until your dead! I only wish I could see the looks on their faces!” The Joker said with another laugh. Poltergeist snorted and spit in the man’s face as he drew closer. The Joker frowned and wiped the blood off of his face._

_“Well, maybe I need to teach you some manners.” A thoughtful look made it’s way to the clown’s face, which then turned into another grin._

_“Nah, I’m just going to keep beating you with this crowbar!” The crowbar struck Poltergeist in the face and the teen grunted in pain._

_“Tell me, what hurts more,” the clown said in a low tone, grin splitting his face. He struck the teen in the face with the crown bar “A” then again “or B?” He struck the teen again and said “forehand” then again “or backhand?” The Joker kept hitting him and hitting him._

_All the while Jason screamed, but no sound came. He watched as the clown mercilessly beat his son. But no matter how hard he tried, how much he screamed, he couldn’t act. Then the clown looked directly at him._

_“Like father like son, eh? Bwahaha!” The clown erupted into sick laughter and kept striking the teen. Finally, Jason was able to move and he lunged at the Joker. But when he lay a hand on his shoulder and turned him around, it was Dick, carrying Kaden’s broken, bloody body in his arms, crying._

_“Jason...our baby...the Joker...I can’t...” Dick sobbed. Jason looked down to the teen in Dick’s arms, his face pale, blood on his face, his eyes closed. He arm fell lifeless and Jason couldn’t breath._

_“No...no, no, no,” he whispered, tears falling down his face as he ran a hand through his son’s hair. He took the teen’s body from Dick and fell to the floor, sobbing as he buried his face in the teen’s hair._

_“Kaden...Kaden!” he cried out out. Then he heard it again, the Joker’s laugh, coming from the darkness around him._

Jason bolted up, Dick shaking him.

“Jason! Jason, it’s a dream!” Dick shouted, a terrified look on his face. Jason looked around the room, then to Dick, fear taking hold of him. Just a nightmare...but that didn’t matter. The parents in him took hold and he bolted out of bed, with Dick hot on his heels.

“Jason, what’s wrong?!” Dick called after him at they raced through the apartment. Jason threw open the door to his son’s room and found the teen sleeping soundly in his bed. He let out a sigh of relief before closing the distance and sitting down on the teen’s bed. Kaden woke with a start and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

“Dad? What’s going on?” he murmured. Jason didn’t answer and instead, pulled his son into a hug, hugging him tight against his chest.

“Dad?” he asked softly as Jason sat there and just held him, fighting back the impending tears. Dick sat behind him and carefully touched his shoulder.

“Jaybird,” Dick whispered softly, rubbing the man’s back.

“I love you Kaden,” Jason whispered softly, pressing a kiss to the teen’s forehead.

“I know. I love you too, dad,” Kaden whispered back. They sat there together for a little while longer, and then finally Jason and Dick left the room to let Kaden sleep. Not another word had been said; Dick wanted to talk to Jason, but it didn’t seem like he wanted to.

And he didn’t. After that dream, one thought played prominently in Jason’s mind: _The Joker dies. It ends,_ now. Once _and for_ all.


	8. Ghost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dick convinced Jason to let Kaden be a vigilante, only not quite in the same way that he was before...

Jason spent a lot more time as the Red Hood over the next week or so, utilizing all his resources for one goal; finding and killing the Joker. So far, nothing came up. The Joker, apparently, didn’t want to be found. That bothered Jason, because that meant that he was up to something. And if the Joker was up to something, it wouldn’t be good.

Meanwhile, at home, Dick was less than pleased with how much he was gone. He got it, Jason was trying to protect him and Kaden, but it was bordering on obsession! But tonight wasn’t about that. Oh no, Dick had something else in mind. He’d been watching Kaden since that night they discovered he was running around as ‘Poltergeist’ behind their backs, and he noticed a distinct change in their son; he seemed a little...unhappy. But when he got to talking with the teen, he discovered that he _enjoyed_ helping people. So once again, he was just like his father, no surprises there.

He’d caught Kaden trying to sneak out once or twice too, but opted to keep that a secret from Jason, because he had an idea. So that night, after Kaden went to bed leaving he and Jason to snuggle up on the couch to Netflix (because Jason was taking _one_ night off from the Red Hood!), Dick decided it was time to broach the subject.

“So Jaybird,” Dick began, popping a piece of popcorn in his mouth. He sighed contentedly and lay across Jason’s lap, looking from the tv up to the man’s eyes and continued “I’ve been thinking-”

“Thought I smelled smoke,” Jason teased, earning an elbow to the gut. Dick chuckled in amusement and shook his head.

“Ass.”

“Dick."

“Yes?” Jason snorted at the man’s reply, then grabbed the remote and turned the volume down. Dick flashed him an appreciative smile.

“Anyway, as I was saying, I’ve been thinking,” Dick sat up and moved the bowl to the coffee table, giving his husband a thoughtful look “and I’ve figured out why you and Kaden are always arguing.” Jason rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

“This should be good,” he said in an amused tone. Dick snorted and slapped his arm.

“Shut up and listen.”

“I’m listening!”

“It;s because you two are practically the same person.” Jason didn’t seem at all phased by the information. Instead he gave a shrug of his shoulders.

“You’re not telling me anything I don’t already know, Dickie-bird,” Jason replied casually. Dick huffed and shook his head, shifting in the couch a bit.

“No, I don’t just mean his anger issues and his inability to listen,” Dick replied, emphasizing that last word, earning a snicker from Jason.

“I mean, everything. I don’t know if you’ve noticed since you’ve been busy as the Red Hood almost constantly-”

“Oh come on, this again? When are you going to drop that?” Jason snapped, annoyed. Dick glared at him, tempted to tell him off, but tonight was about Kaden, not his husband being a neglectful, borderline obsessive asshole lately. So for now, he chose to ignore the comment. In truth, perhaps he could had worded that last sentence a bit better, but he was still a little annoyed about the whole thing.

“Save for a few quirks here or there, like his love of computers, or his loathing of guns, he is you, Jason,” Dick explained to him. Jason still didn’t seem affected much by the information.

“Okay, so my son is just like me. Is there a point here, Dick?”

“Actually, yes. He’s more like you than you know. I think he actually enjoyed being a vigilante-”

“No, stop right there. We’re not having this conversation,” Jason interrupted, knowing where it was going as soon as that last word had been uttered. He pushed himself up off the couch and retreated into the kitchen, but Dick was not letting it go that easily. He glared at the man and then followed him.

“Hey, I wasn’t finished you ass!”

“I was! The answer is no! A definitive, absolute, resounding no! And just to make that absolutely clear, non, nicth, niet, and-” Jason turned to Dick, and in Romani “nu.” With that, he pulled open the fridge and grabbed a beer, but as soon as he turned back around, he was met with an annoyed Dick Grayson, who grabbed the beer right out of his hand.

“Shut up and listen for god’s sake!” Jason scowled and pushed past the man and tried to retreat to the bedroom; he usually didn’t back down from an argument, but anything involving Kaden, and vigilantism was a definitive ‘no’ so there was no point in carrying on this conversation. However, Dick was not about to let it go that easily. He blocked the man’s path, earning a glare from Jason, which he gave back.

“Kaden is not going to be a vigilante, Dick. No ‘ifs’, ‘ands’ or ‘buts’ about it, so you may as well just drop it. And Especially not while the Joker is running loose in Gotham!” Jason replied, opting to return to the living room. He flopped down on the couch and crossed his arms over his chest, glancing back at Dick as the man sat down beside him.

“Jason, we both know that there’s a very _distinct_ chance he’s going to become one anyway, but listen-” Dick began despite Jason’s silence. He tossed the words over in his head a few more times, thinking carefully about how to proceed and then he said “I think I have an idea where everyone can get what they want.” Jason glanced over at Dick an quirked an eyebrow.

“Really? This, I have to hear.” Dick smiled at him and shrugged his shoulders.

“It’s actually very simple; Kaden gets to keep being a vigilante, and he’ll be completey safe, so you have nothing to worry about.”

“And how do you intend to accomplish this?” Jason asked.

“Barbara.”

* * * * *

The next night came around and Kaden was more or less in the living room, watching Netflix (thanks to his pa for getting him this much at least) while Jason and Dick were gearing up for patrol. 

“Love you Kade, I’ll see you in the morning,” Jason called to him, pulling on his helmet. Kaden looked up from the tv, momentarily, to look at his father. He flashed a smile and gave a wave.

“Love you too, dad. See you in the morning.” Hood went to leave the apartment, but then stopped and turned to Nightwing. He approached him and jabbed him in the chest with his finger.

“You better know what you’re doing, Dick. Not one hair out of place on his head, you hear me?” Nightwing raised his hands defensively and laughed.

“Relax, don’t you trust me? You know I’d never let anything happen to him!”

“You I trust. Gotham, not so much. I’m just telling you, this was your dumbass idea, so if he gets hurt, I’m kicking your ass.” Hood replied, before retreating out the window. Nightwing turned to Kaden and grinned, the teen quirking an eyebrow.

“Shouldn’t you be going out on patrol?” he asked. Nightwing retreated from the room and Kaden turned his attention back on the tv. Moments later, a lockbox bounced onto the couch, startling the teen.

“W-what is this?” Kaden asked, but Nightwing didn’t answer. Not until Kaden opened it and saw his Poltergeist gear. He looked up at his papa with a dumbstruck expression.

“Gear up, you’re coming with me,” Nightwing replied. Kaden’s face lit up as he started putting on his gear. In all reality, he was being a bit misleading; Kaden wasn’t technically coming with him, but he couldn’t run around as Nightwing with a civilian teen behind him. Especially not one as high profile as Dick Grasyon’s son.

Once Kaden was all geared up, the two of them left out the window and disappeared into the night.

“Now listen up, Poltergeist,” Nightwing began. The teen felt a rush of excitement at hearing Nightwing call him that. He couldn’t believe he was going on on patrol! How the hell he convince his father to let him go?! Well, that didn’t matter, not really, because he was _actually_ going!

“There are rules. You stick with me, at all times. Got it?” Nightwing explained. Poltergeist gave a nod.

“Got it.”

“When I tell you to do something, you listen.”

“Sure.”

“And remember, call me by my code name, at all times, got it?”

“Got it.”

“Say it a few times right now, get used to it,” Nightwing told him. Poltergeist gave a nod.

“Nightwing.”

“Good. Who am I?”

“Nightwing.”

“Once more.”

“Nightwing.”

“Good. Remember to use that,” Nightwing said with a smile, patting the teen on the back. He gestured for him to follow. Nightwing dived off of the top of the building and Poltergeist followed suit; the Wing Glider flew past moments later and the two of them grabbed hold.

“Wow, this is amazing!” the teen shouted with a laugh. Nightwing flashed a grin in his direction before turning his attention forward again. The clocktower came in sight and Nightwing steered it in its direction.

“The Clocktower? Why there?” Poltergeist asked, but Nightwing didn’t answer. When they landed, he headed inside with Poltergeist behind him.

“Oracle, hey,” Nightwing called. Barbara turned around in her wheelchair and flashed the two of them a smile. Nightwing hugged her, but Poltergeist was too busy staring in awe at all of the equipment in the room.

“Woah...so cool,” he murmured, walking around to check out the computers, the monitors, everything.

“Hey, how’s my favorite nephew?” Barbara asked. Poltergeist was snapped out of his thoughts and flashed his aunt a smile, giving her a hug.

“Doing great, Aunt Babs. So, this is what you do as Oracle?” he asked. Barbara smiled and gestured toward the computer.

“It is. And call me Oracle while we’re here, okay?”

“Got it.”

“Well, I’m out. Poltergeist, you stay here,” Nightwing said smoothly, moving to leave the building. Poltergeist turned and frowned.

“What? I thought you said I was coming with you?” he asked, feeling slightly betrayed. Nightwing gave a shrug.

“I did. And you did. But I think you should stay with Oracle. You should see what it is she does for us, I think you’ll like it.” Nightwing flashed another smile before he retreated out of the building. Kaden pulled off his blindfold and huffed in annoyance.

“He lied to me. What an ass,” Kaden muttered.

“I heard that, and watch your language please. He’s still your dad,” Oracle said to him. Kaden flinched when she spoke, certain he’d said it soft enough so she couldn’t hear him. Clearly not.

“Well, sorry aun-er-Oracle. But I was _really_ looking forward to joining him on patrol. And instead, he dumped me here with you. Er...no offense.” Oracle laughed in amusement and wheeled back around to her computer and started typing away.

“It’s alright. I get it; the thrill of fighting crime, jumping from rooftop to rooftop. For a teenager, it’s pretty appealing,” she replied, with her attention fully on the monitors. Red Hood and Nightwing were on a few of them. She used to advise Batman, until Bruce retired and became sort of like an Oracle to Damian. Now she handled just Red Hood and Nightwing.

“Hood, one of the rival gangs is attacking one of your drug shipment at Admiral Docks,” Oracle told him. Kaden, curious, moved up beside he and watched as she began informing both Red Hood and Nightwing.

“Hacking security...give me a minute...” Oracle said, typing away as she began hacking into the security systems of the building Nightwing was infiltrating. Kaden watched in awe as she hacked through the security with relative ease. He then turned his attention to some of the other monitors, showing news reports, others containing internet articles, mostly relating to the Joker, or Gotham’s various gangs, those not under the Red Hood’s thumb.

“You’re good to go, Nightwing. The security system is mine now,” Oracle told him.

“Thanks Oracle,” Nightwing replied. Kaden moved back to his aunt’s side, and she looked up at him and flashed a smile.

“Pretty cool, huh? It’s night beating up criminals, but it's still a pretty important job,” she explained.

“And bad ass,” Kaden muttered. He looked down at his aunt who was smiling up at him and he shrugged.

“What? You just effortlessly hacked a building’s security system and turned it on its owners. That’s freaking cool.” Oracle chuckled a bit and glanced over to Hood’s monitor. She did a double take then wheeled over to it.

“Shit! Hood, you’ve got a second group closing in on your flank! Harley Quinn is with them!” Oracle called, typing away furiously.

“Oracle, the door is code locked, I need a bypass!” Nightwing called. Oracle glanced back at the monitor and wheeled back over.

“I can’t, I’m kind of busy, Hood’s in trouble.”

“Is he okay?” Nightwing asked. Oracle wheeled back over and started typing away again.

“Hood, I’ve got the docks’ security feeds here-” 

Kaden turned his attention onto Nightwing’s monitors and saw several thugs moving in on his position. The door was still locked and he needed to get through or he’d be cornered.

“Oracle!” Nightwing called. Kaden nodded to himself and then started typing away, drawing Oracle’s attention.

“Ka-Poltergeist, what are you-” Oracle began, but her attention was drawn back to Hood’s monitor as gunfire started breaking out.

“Nightwing, it’s me, Poltergeist. Listen, you’ve got a group of thugs headed your way. I’m hacking the door’s controls now. I should have a bypass ready in a few moments,” the teen said to him. There was a brief silence, save for the sound of keystrokes both from Oracle and Poltergeist.

“Great, thanks!” Nightwing replied. Poltergeist got “Access Denied” three times, but that just made him even more determined. On the fourth try, the screen lit up green with “Access Granted”.

“Got it! You gotta move, they’re right around the corner!” he shouted. Oracle glanced over her shoulder at Kaden and smirked; he was pretty good at this. For a beginner anyway.

“Great, okay now listen...”

* * * * *

It was early in the morning, roughly three in the morning when Nightwing swung back by the clocktower. Oracle was still wide awake and helping Red Hood with a cup of coffee at hand. Nightwing glanced around the room and found Kaden passed out on a couch, wrapped in a blanket.

“Hey, thanks for letting him come by,” Nightwing said smoothly, patting Oracle on the shoulder. She looked up at him and flashed a smile.

“No problem. I think he enjoyed the work though.”

“That was the plan. Still, I didn’t expect him to jump in like he did.”

“I know, right? He’s good. And I wouldn’t mind having an extra pair of hands around here,” she said. Nightwing chuckled in amusement and moved over toward the couch.

“You sure you wouldn’t mind having him around? I was kind of hoping-”

“Of course not! But only if he wants to.” Nightwing smiled and shook the teen a bit.

“Hey, Kaden. Wake up,” he said softly. The teen groaned and slowly sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“Mm, papa?” he murmured. Nightwing smiled at him and ruffled his hair.

“C’mon, we’re going home. Sorry I was out so late, it took a bit longer than I expected,” he replied. Kaden yawned, stretching a bit as he got to his feet.

“It’s fine. It was...kinda fun. Helping you I mean,” Kaden replied with a lazy smirk. Nightwing chuckled in amusement and patted the teen’s back.

“Thinking of a change in profession, are we?” he asked. Kaden glanced over at his aunt who smiled at him, then back to Nightwing.

“I think so, yeah. It felt really good to help you, and I got to use Oracle’s wicked computer, so that was kind of a bonus.” Barbara laughed at the comment and wheeled around toward him.

“Well, I was just telling your dad that I could use an extra set of hands around here. How about it? You want to be a vigilante with your aunt Barbara?” she asked, Kaden grinned widely and nodded eagerly.

“Oh yeah, definitely. But I need a different name, I think. Poltergeist doesn’t really fit when I’m not kicking ass,” Kaden replied. Nightwing and Oracle exchanged glances before turning their attention back on Kaden.

“Call me...Ghost.”


	9. Welcome Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaden embraces his new role as "Ghost" alongside "Oracle" advising Nightwing and his father. Meanwhile, Dick gets the distinct feeling that something just isn't right.

Jason, as it turned out, was okay with Kaden’s new identity. It took a little bit of persuading on Dick’s part, but not a whole lot; as promised, Kaden was safe, and he was still able to be a vigilante like he wanted, just in a different way. “Ghost” actually proved to be quite effective, now that he was permitted to let his computer skills off the leash.

The hunt for the Joker also seemed to wane off; the clown had been quit as of late, but that was a good thing for their little family because Jason was back at home more now, spending more time with Dick and Kaden. But they all knew that as long as the Joker was out there...

“Listen, Hood, Harley is headed toward China Docks where your men are stationed!” Ghost advised. Hood was beating down some of his own thugs, who’d disobeyed his orders and attempted to use children as drug mules. They figured what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. Well, what he found out, was now hurting _them._

“Get the hell out of my face,” Hood snapped to the men. They whimpered and retreated from the room.

“Ghost, what’d I tell you about checking in on me?! I don’t want you-”

“To see what it is you do, yeah, yeah. But this is important! Did I tell you it’s _Harley Quinn?!_ ” Ghost interrupted. Hood growled in annoyance, mostly at the teen;’s flippant remark, but he let it slide for now. Harley Quinn was indeed an important target.

“Fine. Where’s Oracle?” Hood asked.

“Oracle is busy assisting Nightwing at the moment,” Ghost replied. Hood could hear the sounds of typing over his comm link, and he waited patiently to see what Ghost had to tell him.

“Alright, I got an eye on Harley, she’s got about a dozen men with her,” Ghost said.

“Gotcha,” Hood called. Hood made his way out of the building and hopped onto his motorcycle, speeding off toward China Docks. He sent a message ahead to his men there, warning them about Harley Quinn’s approach.

Harley had become far more dangerous when the Joker disappeared nine years ago. As opposed to the goofy side kick to the Joker, when he disappeared, she became aggressive, murderous and more psychotic than ever before. Before, the Joke’s men considered her a useless bimbo. Now, they both feared and respected her. 

It wasn’t clear whether or not she and the Joker were working together again, but Hood intended to find out, one way or another. Harley had broken out of Arkham once again, no surprises there, and had since been wreaking havoc on his gangs. That couldn’t just have been a coincidence.

“Alright boys, show ‘em the business end of ya shotguns!” Harley Quinn called with a demented giggle as they arrived at the docks and began pulling out their weapons.

“Harley Quinn. It’s been a while since I last kicked your ass, hasn’t it?” came the Red Hood’s voice from behind her. Harley spun around and smiled wickedly at Hood, who had both his guns drawn.

“Oh hey Mista Hood! Mista Jay sends his regards!” Harley said in a sickeningly sweet tone as she aimed a grenade launcher at him. Hood dived out of the way as she fired, the grenade striking his motorcycle. He got to his feet and looked back at the flaming wreckage.

“No! Not my baby! You bitch!” Hood snarled. Harley laughed, ending abruptly by a clothesline.

“Ow. Didja mother not teach ya any manners? You’re not supposed to hit a lady!” Harley replied. Hood laughed and attempted to apprehend her, but she managed to scurry away, some of her men rushing to her side to take down Red Hood. Hood seemed more amused than anything else.

“On your right flank, two of Harley’s thugs!” he heard Ghost say over the comm. Hood grinned and waited until the rounded the corner before he aimed his guns and fired several electric rounds at them, stunning them. Harley took off into the shipping yard while her other two men engaged Hood. Hood took them out easily enough and followed after Harley.

“She’s headed toward the docks. A get away boat it looks like!” Ghost said. Hood could hear the sounds of keystrokes over the comm link and the Ghost spoke again “okay, the satellite footage-”

“What satellite footage?!” Hood snapped, following after Harley.

“I er...may have hacked one of Wayne Tech’s satellites,” Ghost replied sheepishly. Hood was impressed. Very impressed. But he was Ghost’s father, so he couldn’t really say that.

“We’ll talk about this later!” Hood answered. Hood raced through the docks just in time to see Harley hopping into the boat. She turned to him and winked at him, giving him a wave.

“I’ll tell mista Jay ya said hi!” Harley called. Hood cursed under his breath, but he heard keystrokes from his comm link.

“Hood, listen, that’s a newer model speed boat! Those are all computerized!” Ghost explained.

“So what?” he asked, watching as Harley began heading out across the water.

“So, if you can tag it and get me a link, I can shut it down!” Ghost replied. Hood was silent for a moment, taking a little time to let his pride swell. This was his kid, and he was fucking brilliant!

“Hood? You better hurry before she gets out of gunshot range!” Ghost called. Hood snorted and grabbed a hand gun, sighting down the barrel. She hadn’t gotten too far out, since it seemed she sucked at driving a boat, so he fired and...bull’s eye!

“Link established. This should only take me a couple of moments...and...done!” Ghost called over the link. Hood could vaguely here Harley swearing, an watched as she started pounding the boat.

“Oracle taught me how to hack vehicles. Guess that came in handy after all!” Ghost replied. Hood chuckled in amusement and gestured for his men to go out and collect her.

“Good job, Ghost,” he said smoothly.

“So...can I-”

“No.”

“But-”

“No.”

“Buzz kill.”

* * * * *

I was almost midnight when Nightwing swung by the clocktower to pick up Kaden, Not that he needed to be picked up because his training with Damian had left him with an array of skills that made him fully capable of walking home without any trouble. Regardless, with the Joker out and about, nobody was taking any chances.

“Hey Babs, Kaden, how’re things going?” Dick asked with a smile, peeling off his mask and ruffling his son’s hair. Kaden groaned and playfully shoved him away.

“They’re going good. Kaden learns fast! Not that there’s much I had to teach him. He’s pretty good with computers as it is,” Barbara answered, flashing the teen a smile. Kaden leaned back in his chair with a cocky grin on his face.

“I know, I know. Do you have any idea how hard it is to be this awesome?” Kaden said smoothly. Barbara rolled her eyes, Dick crossed his arms over his chest and snorted.

“Oh brother. You sound just like your father.” Kaden snickered at the comment. Dick touched Kaden’s chin and frowned and the teen flashed him a quizzical look.

“Looks like you’re gonna have to shave soon, bud. Got some fuzz growing in there,” Dick said with a small smirk, scratching his own chin. Kaden frowned and rubbed his own chin a little bit.

“Actually, I kinda like it,” he answered. He turned and looked at his reflection on a powered down monitor and said “facial hair is supposed to be sexy y’know.” At that comment, Barbara laughed out loud.

“He definitely sounds like his father,” she commented. Even Dick was fighting not to laugh and Kaden snorted at the both of them.

“You’re both old, what do you know?” he joked.

“Alright, c’mon, let’s get you home. It’s a school night after all. You should have been home over an hour ago anyway,” Dick said smoothly, tugging the teen to his feet. H moved to the back of the room to change into his civilian attire and Kaden sighed and raked a hand through his hair. He leaned down and gave his aunt a hug.

“Good night Aunt Barb,” he said and Barbara smiled, hugging him back. 

“Goodnight Kade.” Kaden followed Dick out of the clock tower and the two of them made their way home. When they got back, they were immediately jumped and greeted by Star.

“Hey girl, it’s good to see you too,” Kaden said with a laugh, kneeling down and hugging the dog. Star’s tail wagged faster as she licked his face and whined a little. Dick laughed from behind them.

“Okay Kade, go get ready for bed,” Dick said to him. Kaden scratched Star’s ears once more before flashing a smile up at his papa and retreating to his bedroom. Dick and Kaden both started dressing down for bed. Kaden came out of the bedroom in his black dorm pants and hugged his papa.  
“G’night,” Kaden muttered, giving the man a hug, Dick smiled and kissed the top of his head.

“Night Kaden. Sleep well,” he called before slipping into his own bedroom. He flopped down onto the bed and heaved a sigh. He rolled over on his side to look at the empty place on the bed. A knot of unease had been welling up in his gut all night and seeing that empty spot didn’t help. He didn’t know why he felt that way, only that something just...wasn’t right. Heaving another sigh, he rolled over again, pulling the blanket up over himself and closing his eyes, letting sleep take him.

* * * * *

Morning came with the usual sound of Kaden’s alarm, Star kissing him awake, and the sunlight piercing the window.

“Okay Star, I’m up, I’m up. Did you wake Kaden, girl?” Dick asked with a soft laugh, patting the dog on the head. Star barked once at the last comment and then rushed out of the room, tail still wagging. Dick glanced over across the bed to find that Jason hadn’t come home last night. That knot of unease that had curled in his stomach last night, came back full force. It wasn’t the first time Jason’s work had kept him out all night, but once again, _something didn’t feel right._

But Dick ignored it for now, because Jason could take care of himself. He pulled on a pair of jeans and a blue hoodie, since today was his day off, and made his way out into the kitchen. Kaden was already awake and had set the coffee maker up and was cooking breakfast. The teen wore his favorite pair of jeans with the holes in the knees, the ones Dick insisted he throw out, and a black Nightwing t-shirt. Dick quirked an eyebrow at his son; what was he up to?

“Morning papa!” Kaden called cheerily, sliding a plate of bacon and eggs across the table and a cup of coffee. Dick looked down at the food, then up to Kaden who has that “I’m up to something” smile on his face.

“Okay, spill. What’re you after?” Dick asked, taking a bite of egg. Kaden’s smile didn’t falter and he moved across the kitchen, returning with his own plate, and stabbed at his eggs.

“What? Why would you ask that? Can’t I-”

“No.”

“But”

“No.” Kaden frowned at being shot down so easily and Dick just gave him the look. The look that said ‘I know you’re up to something, now out with it.’Kaden huffed in annoyance and crossed his arms over his chest but shot a glare at his papa when he heard the man snickering.

“What’s so funny?” he asked. Dick laughed and shook his head.

“You just look so much like your father when you’re grumpy. It’s cute.” Kaden frowned and shook his head.

“I’m not..cute! Men can’t be cute!” Kaden protested. Dick just chuckled at the comment, fork pointed in the teen’s direction.

“Now that’s where you’re wrong, Kade. Now out with it. What do you want?” Kaden was silent for a few more minutes. He leaned against the table and folded his hands, looking directly at the man.

“Well, I was wondering...if maybe...” he hesitated, chewing his bottom lip a bit. Dick casually took a piece of bacon and popped it into his mouth.

“Yes?”

“Well...if maybe you’d let me go out on patrol with you?” he asked. Dick ate another piece of bacon, a look of consideration on his face as he pondered the request.

“No,” he said and Kaden whined and went to protest, but Dick held up his hand to stop him.

“It’s not because I don’t think you can take care of yourself. It’s more that...well, Bludhaven makes Gotham look like a child’s playground,” Dick answered, sipping his coffee. He placed the cup down and mirrored his son’s posture, arms folded on the table.

“Bludhaven is a lot more dangerous than Gotham. It’s where criminals fleeing Gotham go to. The Police there are also a lot more corrupt. It’s not that I don’t trust you, I just don’t trust Bludhaven,” Dick explained. Kaden didn’t seem completely satisfied with that answer, but neither did he protest.

“However, I _will_ talk to your father about maybe letting you go out with Batman once in a while. After this whole Joker thing is dealt with,” Dick added, sipping his coffee again. Kaden grinned from ear to ear and jumped from his chair, pumping his fist in the air.

“Aw yeah! You’re the best papa!” Kaden said cheerily, rounding the table to hug the man. Dick laughed in amusement and shooed the teen off to get ready for school.

“Okay, okay. Now go get your bag. School’s in half an hour,” he said. Kaden rushed off to his bedroom and scooped up his side bag, heading for the door.

“Love you papa!” Kaden called, heading out.

“Love you too, baby bird!” Dick called back. He sat at the table for a little while longer, finishing his breakfast and tossing a scrap of bacon to Star. He sighed deeply and pushed himself up out of the chair and made for the bedroom, staring at the empty bed. He couldn’t help the nagging feeling, deep in his gut, that something wasn’t right...

* * * * *

Jason groaned as he finally came to. His eyes slowly opened, his vision a little blurry. The room was dark, save for a bit of light. He lifted his head to look around the room but he couldn’t see anything beyond the ring of light. He tried to move but soon found his wrists had been bound. He growled and looked up to see he was restrained by...is that... _barbed wire_...

Panic ripped through him and his eyes flew wide open. The last time he had been bound with barbed wire was... _oh no_...Jason looked around the room nervously, struggling against the wire that held him. His feet were also tied up so he didn’t have much movement. And his head was killing him.

“Rise and shine little birdie,” came the Joker’s voice. And in that moment, Jason’s worst fears were realized. The memories came flooding back, the nightmares long since past, returning to the forefront of his mind. Memories and nightmares he’d buried years ago now came back to torment him.

“No!” He shouted angrily, yanking at his restraints, but to no avail.

“Welcome home, little bird!” The Joker taunted, letting out a cruel, sadistic laugh, drowning out Jason’s cries for help...


	10. Search and Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason's disappearance coincides with the Joker's silence, so everyone has become concerned and a search begins, but a tip from Jason's black phone of underworld contacts is what confirms their fears.

Dick was worried. Jason had been missing for _three days_. After the second, he grew a bit paranoid and, regrettable, went digging into Jason’s contacts to see if he could find him. No one had seen him, not a trace of him, in three days. He tried his best to hide it all from Kaden, forgetting that he was 16 and fully capable of putting two and two together. He just wanted to protect him.

“You don’t need to protect me, papa. I’m 16, I can take care of myself,” Kaden said to him as he sat at the kitchen table, hands threaded through his hair. Dick looked up at Kaden and flashed him a sad smile.

“I’m sorry Kaden, I just...” Kaden hugged him in an attempt to make him feel better. Dick sighed deeply and hugged the teen back.

“Something isn’t right, Kaden. Your dad’s never been gone this long, not without _some_ kind of contact to let us know he’s okay. And it’s not just that, but I’ve been feeling really uneasy for days now,” Dick explained to him. Kaden gave a nod and flopped down into the chair across from him, pulling his black hoodie on a little tighter around his body.

“I noticed. You’re not as subtle as you think you are when you’re worried, pa,” Kaden teased with a little smirk. Dick chuckled in amusement, followed by a sigh as he leaned back in his chair. He raked both his hands through his hair; he’d told Bruce and Damian and they got to searching, just in case; the Joker hadn’t been seen in a while either, which was cause for added concern. They also got a hold of Tim, who came back to Gotham to help with the search.

And Kaden called Roy to let him know what was going on. He knew Roy and his dad were good friends, so Roy might know some places he would go that no one else did. But besides that, he knew Roy would want to know what was going on, to know his friend might be in trouble. 

Speak of the devil, a knock came at the door. Dick got up to answer it and lo and behold, Roy and his daughter Lian were here.

“Hey Roy, good to see you!” Dick said with a smile on his face, pulling the man into a hug.

“Likewise. I’m just sorry it isn’t under better circumstances,” Roy said smoothly. Dick’s smile faltered but he gave a nod and gestured into the apartment.

“Come in, make yourselves at home,” Dick offered. Roy made his way inside with his daughter behind him. Lian, now eighteen, followed her father inside, black hair tied into a ponytail and blue eyes scanning the room. She glanced over at Kaden and caught the teen staring at her so she smirked a little and winked at him.

Kaden;s face turned crimson and he quickly looked away, crossing his arms over his chest and trying to look tough. It didn’t work as well as he’d hoped because she came over and giggled at him.

“Still playing at the tough guy act, hmm, Kaden?” she teased. Kaden’s face burned crimson and he refused to look at her. Not that he could form any coherent words anyway. He’d had a crush on Lian for the last three years and somehow, he suspected she knew that and was probably toying with him. _Women are so cruel._

“Lian Harper, what’d I say about boys?” Roy called from the living room with an amused tone. Lian rolled her eyes and stood up straight, crossing her arms and meeting her father’s eyes.

“That I can’t date them until I’m married, yeah yeah. I’m eighteen dad,” she replied in an equally amused tone. Kaden meanwhile sunk down in his chair a little, face still burning red. Which was only made worse when Lian turned to him and winked at him before joining her father in the living room.

Roy chuckled in amusement and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

“My little girl’s all grown up! Though she picked up some bad habits from her mother. Like manipulating and seducing boys,” Roy said in a tone that held both amusement and annoyance. Lian chuckled a bit and playfully slapped her father.

“But dad, that’s the fun part!” Dick laughed in amusement and flopped down onto the couch, inviting them to join him. Roy sat down beside him and Lian turned to Kaden, but Roy could already see the gears turning in her head.

“Lian Harper,” Roy said with a quirk of her eyebrow. Lian rolled her eyes.

“You have no sense of fun, dad.” And that was the moment it happened; a phone rang and everyone checked their phones, but it wasn’t any of theirs. Dick, curiosity piqued, followed the sound of the ring and it was coming from...

“Jason’s black phone,” Dick said nervously, everyone having followed to it. The phone sat in a drawer on the desk in his and Jason’s bedroom, buzzing away. They were hesitant to answer it because that phone belonged to The Red Hood, and the only people who called it were his contacts. By now, they had to know he was missing...so who could be calling...? It made them nervous.

“Answer it,” Roy said evenly. Dick glanced over at Roy and gave a nod, carefully picking up the black phone and opening the call. He took a deep breath before he put it to his ear.

“Hello?” he asked. There was a brief silence and then came a voice, a man’s voice.

“Look, I don’t know who this is, and I don’t care. If you have this phone, then you must have a connection to the Red Hood. In that case, get me a meeting with Batman and Nightwing. Tell them to meet me in Crime Alley at midnight tonight. I have information for them,” the man on the other end said before the call ended abruptly. 

Dick pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it for a moment, before looking around at everyone and placing it back in the drawer.

“I don’t know who that was, but they said they want to meet Nightwing and Batman. They said they had important information,” Dick said evenly. Roy frowned and Lian and Kaden traded looks.

“So how do you want to play this?” Roy asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Dick frowned and paced the room a little bit. The information could very well have something to do with Jason’s disappearance so it didn’t take him long to decide; “we set up the meeting.”

* * * * *

Jason growled angrily as he tugged at his restraints. The Joker had tortured him physically, for three days straight and he’d barely had anything to eat or drink. He was exhausted, so his escapology training would be of little use; even if he got free, he didn’t have the energy to muster an escape. Instead, he opted to bide his time and wait for the perfect opportunity. 

He had advantaged now that he was older that he hadn’t had the last time; he was better trained, able to stand up to more severe torture, and despite the memories, the nightmares, he was stronger mentally than back then. He could take whatever the Joker could dish out. And when that golden opportunity to escape presented itself, he’d take it. And then he’d grab the nearest weapon and end the sick clown once and for all.

“Looks like the little birdie is off to an early start this morning!” came the Joker’s voice as he entered the light, fingering a bloody crowbar. Jason snorted and spit at the clown.

“Fuck you.”

The Joker cackled, wiping the spit off of his face and tapped the crowbar against Jason’s jaw.

“There’s the birdboy I know! Defiant and mouthy to the last!” The Joker taunted, circling him a bit. Jason braced himself for the strike of the crowbar, waiting for it, expecting it, but it never came.

“You know, it took _years_ of planning to get to this point! Of course, if that damn Nightwing hadn’t gotten involved,” The Joker hissed angrily at the mention of Nightwing. He hated Nightwing with a passion. But his anger dissipated almost immediately, and he grinned like the devil “well, it would have come to fruition much sooner!” 

Jason looked up at the Joker with a confused look.

“What the fuck are you going on about now, you deranged piece of trash?” Jason spat. The Joker giggled hysterically.

“Why you, of course! My most brilliant plan ever!”

“What the _hell_ are you talking about?”

“Oh come now, you don’t think it was just a _coincidence_ that Batman happened to be in Crime Alley that day, all those years ago, did you?” The Joker said in a low tone, grinning at Jason. Jason’s blood ran cold at the implication, but he remained silent.

“Your father going to jail, your mother overdosing, all me!” The Joker said with a hysterical giggle. Jason shook his head; he couldn’t believe it, there was no way! The Joker patted Jason’s cheek and continued “I created my own Robin! All so I could create you, the next me! Isn’t that wonderful?” The Joker cackled again and Jason shook his head in disbelief.

“No! You’re lying!” Jason growled. The Joker’s laughing stopped and he looked down at Jason with a neutral expression.

“Well, there were a few speed bumps. Like Nightwing not giving up the search for you,” he began, a grin slowly spreading across his face.

“And you having a kid and starting a family, that _really_ threw a wrench into all my plans! You stopped killing, and you got all cozy with your little husband and birdie brat, ut-” he patted Jason’s face again and said “don’t worry, The Joker will get you on track and spreading murder and mayhem again soon!” The Joker went to pat him on the face again, but Jason lunged and bit him. The Joker yelped in pain as he pulled back, but then started cackling hysterically as he left Jason alone once again.

* * * * *

Nightwing and Batman arrived at Crime Alley, awaiting patiently for...whoever it was that had this ‘information’. Arsenal was hidden on a roof nearby with his daughter, a.k.a Speedy, with Red Robin nearby as well, with Oracle and Ghost watching closely from the clock tower, and Bruce from the cave. They were well prepared in case this was a trap.

“I don’t see anything yet,” Ghost said smoothly. He turned to Oracle and she shook her head.

“No, nothi-wait, I’e got movement headed for Crime Alley,” Oracle said over the comm link. Speedy and Arsenal trained their bows on the alleyway, Red Robin readied himself to jump in, but Nightwing and Batman remained passive, so as not to scare this ‘informant’ off.

A man in a trench coat and a hat came walking down the alleyway, alone. He stopped in front of both Nightwing and Batman and looked around nervously. He pulled off the hat and revealed himself to be-

“you’re Blackjack,” Nightwing said smoothly. The man snorted and gave a nod.

“Yeah. I am. Now look, I want a deal; I give you the information and I walk away a free man. Got it?” he said flatly. Nightwing and Batman exchanged glances and then nodded.

“Depends on how good the info is,” Batman added. Blackjack pulled out a cigarette and lit it up, taking a few puffs. He breathed out smoke and held the cigarette away from himself, glaring at the two vigilantes.

“Alright. Just so we’re clear, I hate the both of you,” Blackjack said in a venomous tone. He took another puff of the cigarette and continued “some of us were born and raised into crime so we don’t know anything else. The Red Hood does good work, keeps us clean, relatively speaking. So people like myself have an interest in keeping him in power.”

“Get to the point, what information do you have?” Batman growled. Blackjack snorted at him and threw the cigarette but to the ground, stomping it out.

“You don’t scare me, Batman. But on to business,” Blackjack went on, straightening his coat. He cleared his throat and looked around again.

“Three nights ago, after we busted Harley Quinn, the Joker made an...appearance. The Red Hood went after him and no one has heard from him since. Now most of the scumbags in this city are happy with that. But my own contacts suggest the Joker has the Hood. Supposedly took him alive.”

Nightwing was able to conceal his reaction thanks to his training, but deep in the pit of his stomach, his anxiety amplified ten fold. Even the comm links went deadly silent at that revelation.

“Anything else?” Batman asked evenly. Blackjack snorted and waved his hand dismissively.

“No. That’s it. Look, I’m sticking my neck out here just telling you this shit. If the other Crime Lords got wind of the fact that I gave you this info, that I’m trying to get the Red Hood back, I’m a dead man. Now I’m outta here,” Blackjack said, turning his back to leave. Batman glared at him and went to pursue, but Nightwing stopped him.

“No, we made a deal. We should honor it,” he said. Batman snorted and turned, grappling up to the roof behind him with Nightwing behind him. He, Nightwing, Speedy, Arsenal, and Red Robin all met up on the same building. And that’s when Nightwing lost his composure.

“Dammit! The Joker has him! This isn’t good, what if he kills him this time?!” Nightwing cursed, pacing back and forth nervously, his pent up anxiety bubbling to the surface. Red Robin grabbed him by his arms and stopped him, shaking him.

“Hey! Calm down! If the Joker wanted to kill him, he’d have done it! You heard that guy, the Joker took him alive!” he said, trying to reassure him. Nightwing took a deep breath and gave a nod.

“We’ll find him, don’t worry,” Arsenal added, patting Nightwing’s back.

“But first we need to find the Joker. We find him, we find Jason,” came Oracle over the comm link. They heard Ghost clearing his throat, and then he spoke.

“What about Arkham? That’s where the Joker took him last time.” Everyone was silent as they considered the possibility. Bruce spoke this time.

“Unlikely. After we rescued Jason, we collapsed the tunnels and I personally funded Arkham Asylum’s complete security overhaul to prevent future escapes,” Bruce said confidently. But he wasn’t convinced.

“But-” Ghost tried to say, but he was interrupted again, by Bruce.  
“The Joker has countless other hiding places and hideouts throughout Gotham. We should begin our search by eliminating the most unlikely places and then searching everywhere else,” Bruce suggested.

“Okay, but-” Ghost tried again, but again he was interrupted.

“Already running the data. We should have results in short order,” Oracle said smoothly. Ghost huffed in annoyance as the conversation went on, all of them completely ignoring him.

“Okay, but I _really_ think you guys should consider looking at Arkham!” Ghost shouted to get in a damn word. They all went silent, save for Batman.

“Look, Ghost, we’ve been doing this much longer than you. We know what we’re doing. Let us handle this,” Batman said evenly. Ghost huffed in annoyance but made no comment on it.

“Alright, everyone get home and get some rest. We’ll started the search in the morning,” Bruce said.

* * * * *

That night while Kaden lay in bed, unable to sleep, his thoughts went to his father. After what his papa had told him had happened last time, he was fearful of what his dad could be going through right now. And they were _sleeping!_ When they should be _looking for him!_ He understood it; they couldn’t mount a search if they were all exhausted, but it was still aggravating! But what bugged Kaden just as much, was Damian’s comment.

_“Look, Ghost, we’ve been doing this much longer than you. We know what we’re doing. Let us handle this.”_

Kaden rolled over in his head, growling to himself. The comment kept playing in his head, because what if felt like was being said was ‘you’re just a kid.’ He growled and threw the covers off of himself and dressed as quietly as possible, settling on a course of action; for starters, he was going to find his dad, and secondly, he was going to prove them all wrong, prove to them that he was _not_ just a kid.

He looked around his room and grabbed up a bunch of clothes and pillows, stuffing his blanket with them. He didn’t believe it would work, but hey, maybe it could buy him a couple of minutes. Of course, he had the whole rest of the night to work, while everyone else slept.

Kaden snuck out through his window and headed for the clock tower. A teenager walking through the dark streets of Gotham in the middle of the night was hardly suspicious, so he didn’t even bother to try and hide. However, breaking into the clock tower was a completely different matter. The teen stood in front of it and looked up at it apprehensively. It was riddled with traps to keep intruders away. Non-lethal of course.

He took a deep breath and snuck inside. Getting past the traps would be no simple feat, especially since it was the best way to get in without alerting anyone. It took him a good hour to get past them safely, but when he did, it paid off; he arrived at the core of the place, the entire mainframe powered down. Only Oracle knew the password, so it was a good thing he brought his laptop.

“Sorry Aunt Barb,” he muttered to himself, settling on his couch as he got to work hacking into it to activate it. He’d need the computers to do what he needed to do; hack the Watchtower.


	11. Eye in the Sky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaden spends all night trying to find his father and his work may have borne fruit. Meanwhile, the Joker continues his torture on Jason, this time attacking him as a parent...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What can I say, the creative juices are really flowing today. :D

Kaden began hacking into the clock tower’s mainframe, trying to bypass his aunt’s security wards. That proved difficult, because they were quite thorough. The room was completely silent save for the sound of clacking keys on the teen’s laptop. The clock tower’s server proved to be very difficult to hack, and Kaden began to wonder if it would even be possible to hack the Watchtower if he was having so much trouble with the clock tower. But finally, he gained access to the server and the machines powered up and he was online.

“Yes! Alright, time to get to work!” Kaden said to himself with a prideful grin on his face. He pulled up a chair and got to work, first searching and pulling up as much of Arkham Island’s history as he could possibly find. As it turned out, there was a series of tunnels and cave systems below Arkham and over the years, a few wings and entire buildings of the Asylum had been abandoned. There were always plans to do something with them, but eventually the ended up being forgotten and left to rot, since no one could ever get the funding for it.

Then from what he read, twenty years ago, Wayne Tech funded a complete overhaul of Arkham’s security; everything had been drastically improved, rebuilt, not a single expense had been spared. But when Kaden started digging deeper, he found that not all of the island received the renovations and upgrades that were required. One building had been left completely abandoned, untouched, but he could find no reason as to _why._

So he kept digging, this time into the Joker’s past and found that the Joker had escaped countless times, and there were many times when he seemed _willing_ to return.

“Arkham is the Joker’s base!” Kaden said in realization, jumping up from his chair. All these years, the Joker was using the asylum as his defacto base of operations! He never truly escaped because he was never truly an inmate there! Kaden began pacing a bit, raking his hands through his hair; his father _had_ to be somewhere on that island! He turned back to the computers and sat down. Now came the difficult part; hacking into the Watchtower. The Watchtower’s equipment, its satellites were likely far more powerful than anything at Wayne Tech. He was certain if he could gain access to them, he’d be able to find what he was looking for.

With must hesitance and a deep breath, Kaden began the process of hacking into the Watchtower. This was dangerous work because he knew if he was caught, he’d be in a metric fuckton of trouble.

Kaden started by going through Oracle’s Watchtower channels and then came the process of trying to gain access. He started the hack and almost immediately he got an “Access Denied”. Unsurprising, because he wasn’t expecting it to be that easy.

For the next couple of hours, Kaden relentlessly hacked into the Watchtower, trying every approach he could. Anytime he came close to being discovered, he’d back out and try something else. The room was filled only by the sounds of clacking keys and frustrated sighs. By this point, he’d discarded his hoodie, sweat on his brow mostly from anxiety; this was not quiet as easy as television made it look.

“C’mon, c’mon, I just need a little bit of luck,” he muttered, clacking away at the keys. Once again, “Access Denied” flashed across his screen. Kaden scrubbed his face with his hands and groaned in frustration. He stared at the screen and wished it would explode, but he heaved a sigh and got back to work. This time, he added in a couple of macros he created for hacking and upgrades thanks to Oracle’s tutelage, to work alongside him.

But once again, he was met with an “Access Denied”. He growled in annoyance and fell back in his chair with an exasperated sigh, scrubbing his face with his hands.,

“Ugh, god dammit!” he growled. He scrubbed his face with his hands once more when he heard it: “Access Granted”. Kaden sat up in the chair, staring wide-eyed in disbelief at the screen: he was in!

“Ha! I can’t believe it! Yes!” he exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air.

“Looking for something?” came a voice from behind him. Startled, Kaden spun around and stared at his aunt in shock.

“Uh...” Kaden’s mouth opened and closed, trying to form words, but nothing came out, because he knew he was _fucked._ Barbara wheeled toward him but she seemed surprisingly calm.

“The server alerted me that someone else was accessing it. So I came to check it out,” she explained. She gave him a stern look and Kaden sunk into his chair.

“Something you want to tell me?”

* * * * *

“Playing with you is all well and good, but I found a new plaything that is-well, _was_ \- so much more entertaining,” The Joker said to Jason. Jason’s heart caught in his throat; who did the Joker go after this time?! The Joker leaned in close and gripped Jason roughly by the jaw.

“The little birdie sang such a beautiful song for me,” the Joker said in a low tone. _Little birdie_...Panic ripped through Jason as realization donned on him, a fearful look spreading across his face.

“No,” he said barely above a whisper. The Joker cackled as he struck Jason in the jaw with the crowbar.

“Oh yes! It was delightful! Daddy’s little bird isn’t as sturdy as I expected though. Cracked like an egg!”

“No!” Jason shouted, teeth bared as he glared at the Joker, struggling against his restraints. The Joker giggled hysterically as he made another lap around Jason, still fingering the crowbar.

“Oh yes, you should have seen it! My most magnificent performance ever! The kid dragged it down a bit, but hey, I only work with what I have!” He turned to Jason and grinned darkly.

“My only regret is that I didn’t bring a camera! It was quite the show! But I _did_ bring this!” The Joker pulled a recorder out of his pocket and Jason’s heart started hammering in his chest, fear welling up inside him for what was on that recorder. The Joker hit play, and Jason’s worst fears became reality.

 _[[“Dad? Papa? Please, someone help me,”]]_ Jason immediately recognized Kaden’s voice and the tears found his eyes.

“No,” he whispered softly.

“Oh, but it gets better!” The Joker taunted as the recording kept playing.

 _[[“Oh, they’re not coming to save you! Nobody is! But don’t worry, I have all sorts of fun games planned!”]]_ The Joker’s voice stirred up a wellspring of rage inside Jason as he growled and struggled against his restraints, the tears rolling down his face. And then he heard the crowbar hitting flesh, heard his son whimpering in pain, crying out for his dad. Jason cried, tears rolling down his face.

“Oh, this is my favorite part, right here!” The Joker said with a demented giggle.

_[[“Dad...why? Why didn’t you...save me?” Kaden’s voice was soft, followed by a low, broken sob. And then an explosion.]]_

“YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!” Jason roared, tears pouring down as face as he lunged forward, the restraints barely holding him in place. He growled and shouted while the Joker skittered across the room and laughed hysterically.

“I’ll kill you! I’ll fucking kill you! When I get out of this, so help me god, I’ll paint the fucking walls with your blood!” Jason roared, still pulling against his restraints. The barbed wire dug through the light Kevlar on his wrists and began to cut him, but the pain was dulled by pure rage.

“There’s no where you can hide! I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU!!!” Jason roared after the Joker as the clown laughed hysterically. 

“And that’s not even the best part! You’re going to terrorize Gotham for me when I’m gone!” The Joker cackled.

“Imagine it! Once I break you, I set you loose on Gotham, and then Jason Todd becomes the next Joker! All according to plan!”And then Jason was left alone. Alone to contemplate his son’s death. And then he cried, his cries breaking down into ruined sobs as his entire body went lax. Kaden was dead.

* * * * *

“So, you hacked into the Watchtower to prove a point?” Barbara asked, throwing him a skeptical look. Kaden shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest.

“No. Well, sort of. It was more about helping my dad. The Watchtower has the best surveillance equipment on the planet. They’re writing of Arkham, but something tells me he’s there,” Kaden replied. Barbara was silent for a while, considering what Kaden said.

“But you’re still trying to prove a point Kaden. I mean, hacking the Watchtower? Frankly, I’m surprised you managed it at all,” Barbara said smoothly, looking over her monitors. Kaden bowed his head a little.

“Er..well, it kinda took me like, two hours.” Barbara glanced over at him and shrugged.

“Still, the fact that you even managed it at all...” she paused, looking over some of the data he pulled up earlier. She looked over at Kaden, then back to the monitors, then back to Kaden.

“So you _really_ believe they’re on Arkham Island somewhere?” she asked. Kaden gave a nod.

“I do.” Barbara nodded in response, then ushered him out of the way, taking control of the Watchtower’s surveillance equipment.

“Alright then, let’s find Jason,” Barbara said smoothly. Kaden grinned widely and pulled up a chair beside her as she took control of the Watchtower’s satellites. She moved them over to Arkham Island and turned to Kaden.

“Any idea what we’re looking for?” she asked. Kaden pointed to some of the more run down buildings.

“Here. When grandpa funded Arkham’s security upgrades, some of the buildings were left untouched. I think someone’s corrupt at the Asylum,” Kaden suggested Barbara rolled her eyes and shook her head.

“Corruption in Gotham, what a shock.” They both traded looks and then laughed. She Barbara used the satellite to look over Arkham Island for any suspicious activity. And indeed she found it; people who most certainly did not look like Arkham staff were walking around the abandoned portions of the Island, with weapons to boot.

“What were you thinking, Kaden?” Barbara asked without turning her attention from the monitors. Kaden looked over at her and sighed.

“I wanted to find my dad, so-”

“No, not that. I mean about Arkham,” she interrupted. Kaden gave her a quizzical look, so then he began to explain everything he’d found, what he’d been thinking, even his reasoning.

“Give how easily he escaped over the years and how he often went back to easily, it just seemed to make sense that Arkham wasn’t his prison, but his home.” Kaden reached over to the screen and pointed at the main building.

“Dad is there, I can feel it. Regardless of any security upgrades, nobody knows the Island better than the Joker, the man whose escaped, explored and returned to it more times than any one can count.” Barbara looked over at Kaden and flashed him a smile. He ruffled his hair and he made an annoyed sound.

“You’re brilliant, Kade. Your parents, Tim, even Bruce would all be proud, that’s some pretty good detective work.” Kaden shrugged his shoulders.

“I don’t know about that. I mean, this was all based off of a hunch,” he answered casually. He sighed and leaned back in his chair, feeling exhaustion settling in on him.

“I mean, there was a huge part of me that wanted to believe Grandpa. He’s known the Joker for god knows how long, so it seemed logical that he knew what he was talking about.” Barbara snorted and then laughed.

“While that’s mostly true, Bruce isn’t as all knowing as people thinks he is,” Barbara said smoothly, flashing the teen a smile. She gestured back to the screen and added “he makes mistakes just like everyone else. Like this for instance. There’s definitely someone there who shouldn’t be. I hesitate to say you found your dad, but we definitely found something.” She turned to him and patted his shoulder.

“You should be proud. But for now, you should get some rest. You've earned it.” Kaden yawned, stretching a bit before moving over to the couch.

“Yeah, I’m going to need it for when papa gets a hold of me,”he muttered, grabbing a blanket and pulling it over himself. Barbara watched him for a few minutes before the sound of light snoring filled the air. She smiled and turned her attention back onto the monitors.

“I’ll make sure he’s not too hard on you, don’t worry,” she said softly.

* * * * *

Dick showed up at the clock tower a few hours later and he looked really worried.

“Barb! Have you seen-” he glanced over toward the couch and spotted Kaden and breathed a deep sigh of relief.

“Thank god,” he murmured, sinking down to his knees beside the couch and gently raking his fingers through the teen’s hair. Waking up this morning and finding his son missing really scared him. And now that the fear was over, hw found himself being angry.

“How long has he been here?” Dick asked. Barbara didn’t look away from the monitor as she gave a dismissive wave of her hand.

“Probably all night,’ she answered. Dick looked back down to the sleeping teen, so very tempted to wake him up, just to chew him out, but opted to let him sleep instead. He got to his feet and raked his hands through his hair, approaching Barbara.

“Go easy on him, okay?” she said softly, finally looking up from the monitors and up at Dick.

“He was here all night trying to find his dad, and I think he actually found something,” she said smoothly. Dick quirked his eyebrow, curiosity piqued. So she pulled up some footage she capture earlier. It showed Arkham Island the armed thugs they found earlier.

“Woah. That’s Arkham. And those look like the Joker’s men. Or rather the ones he recruited from underneath Red Hood,” Dick said, glancing back at the teen. Barbara flashed him a smile.

“He’s growing up and both you and Jason are afraid of that. Afraid you’re going to lose your little boy,” she said in a matter-of-factual kind of tone. Dick frowned a bit and she playfully slapped him with the back of her hand.

“I don’t have kids, but my dad was the same way with me, Dick. You can’t protect him forever. And look at this,” she said casually, pulling up the Watchtower files.

“He hacked the watchtower. It tool him a number of hours, but he did it,” she said. Dick looked at the monitor in surprise; his son, his Kaden did that? He looked over at the teen and sighed deeply.

“Damn. I wish he would stop growing up, he said with a little laugh. Barbara chuckled in amusement and gave a nod.

“I know. Anyway, it looks like Arkham is our target, judging from all the activity.” Dick gave a curt nod.

“Time to return to Arkham then.”


	12. An Ending Once and For All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason has been found and now, it's time to mount a rescue. Yet somehow it seems too easy...

Kaden groaned and rolled over on the couch, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He glanced around the room blearily until his eyes settled upon his papa. 

“Oh shit,” he muttered, then quickly covered his mouth; he wasn’t supposed to have said that out loud. What was more was his papa looked angry. Dick got to his feet and approached the teen, who shrank back on the couch a little.

“Kaden,” he began, making the teen shrink even more; he was using that disappointed tone. Kaden hated that tone of voice. He looked up at the man who looked less than please and then quickly averted his eyes.

“You snuck out last night and when I went looking for you this morning, I nearly had a heart attack!” Dick yelled at him. Kaden felt like shit, but then Dick knelt in front of him, cupping his cheek and making him look at him.

“Look at me. Kaden!” Dick demanded. Kaden sighed and met the man’s eyes, seeing the fear in them and feeling like complete shit. He hadn’t been thinking about what everyone would feel if they found his bed empty in the morning.

“You scared the hell out of me, and I should ground you for the next three months,” Dick began, and Kaden slapped himself mentally; _three more months?!_

“But as it is, considering your dad’s missing and that you may well have found him...good job.” Kaden did a double take, looking at his papa like he had three heads. Did he just say ‘good job’?! Dick smiled at him and got back up to his feet, but then that disappointed look came back.

“But if you ever pull a stunt like that again, I’ll lock you in your room until you’re twenty. Understand?” Kaden gave a sheepish nod. But that wasn’t enough.

“Kaden. Answer me.”

“Yes papa,” Kaden replied with a sigh. Moments later, Barbara wheeled into the room with bags of food in her lap.

“Oh, Kaden! You’re awake and just in time too! I brought breakfast!” she said with a smile, opening the bag and tossing some breakfast sandwiches to both Dick and Kaden. Kaden licked his lips and opened the wrapper, tossing it into a trash bin nearby before taking a bite of the sandwich and making an ‘mmm’ sound.

He looked up at both his papa and his aunt who were both munching away on their sandwiches, and asked “so...what’s going on? I mean, what’s the plan to help my dad?” Both Dick and Barbara shared a look before looking down to Kaden.

“Well, Roy is going undercover. To see if Jason’s really there, if he can get close enough. Or at the very least, see if there’s any signs of him,” Dick explained. Kaden seemed interested by that, but a question came to mind.

“Well, if he can get close enough to see my dad, why-” but Dick already knew what he was thinking and cut him off.

“Well, we don’t have a whole lot of intel about what’s going on there. We don’t want to get them...killed,” Dick explained. Kaden nodded to himself, because that made sense. The last thing he wanted was for his father or Roy to get killed. The Joker on the other hand...

The computer beeped, signaling an incoming transmission. Barbara wheeled over to it and allowed it. It was Roy.

“It’s Arsenal. Jason’s here. He’s alive, and he’s here. I couldn’t get too close, but I managed to catch a glimpse of him,” Roy said smoothly. Dick sighed in relief, and Kaden fell back on the couch letting out an exasperated sigh; thank god his dad was okay.

“But he looks to be in pretty rough shape. We need to get in there and get him out, soon,” Roy said. Dick and Barbara nodded to each other.

“Great, get out of there Roy and good job.” With that, Dick cut the connection.

“Alright, we’ll go and get him out tonight. I don’t care if the Joker is there, we’re leaving with Jason one way or another,” Dick said firmly.

“I want to go with you,” Kaden said, hopping up off of the couch. Dick look at the teen and shook his head.

“No, it’s too dangerous. You stay here and-”

“My dad is in trouble! The Joker had been torturing him for days! You can’t just expect me to sit out and do nothing when I can help!” Kaden replied, throwing his arm through the air. Dick looked at him with a critical eye and sighed, about to speak when Kaden cut him off.

“He’s my dad. I have to help.” Dick chewed his lip and raked his hands through his hair; he _really_ didn’t want Kaden going with them. He could tell him no, but he got the distinct feeling the teen would sneak out anyway. On the other hand...

“Okay fine, but-” Dick began, as Kaden smiled widely. Kaden quieted quickly and listened carefully.

“You don’t act unless I tell you, you don’t breathe unless I tell you, and you don’t think unless I tell you. Do you understand?” Kaden nodded eagerly. Now was his time to show them all that he was _not_ just a kid. And more importantly, to save his dad.

* * * * *

Night fell and with its arrival, Nightwing, Batman, Arsenal, Speedy, Red Robin and Poltergeist rose. They split into teams, Arsenal and Speedy, Batman and Red Robin, and Nightwing and Poltergeist. Nightwing and Poltergeist made a trip to the batcave first, where Alfred and Bruce healed to better reinforced Poltergeist’s gear. The torso was fitted with some slightly heavier Kevlar to take greater hits while maintaining as much of his original mobility as possible.

They snuck onto the island, Nightwing and Poltergeist through the underground passages, Arsenal and Speedy took the southern approach and Batman and Red Robin opted for an aerial approach. This was a stealth mission, so stealth take downs would be optimal. Most of the armed men around this part of the island wore clown masks or make up as they patrolled. It seemed the Joker wasn’t about to make the same mistake he made last time.

Nightwing and Poltergeist moved carefully through the underground tunnels. They were met with traps, which was no surprise, and all of them clown or gag themed. All the while, the three teams kept in touch with each other via Oracle and their comm links. None of them had encountered the Joker yet though, which was...worrisome. But that didn’t matter at the moment.

“We’re moving forward. We’ve arrived on the island from the southern approach. Little resistance,” Speedy reported.

“We’re inside the building now, and it doesn’t look like anyone’s been in here in a while,” came Red Robin’s voice. Batman was next.

“Keep your eyes peeled, and shut up unless its an Emergency,” he growled. Poltergeist made a face in mock of him and the next thing they heard was “stop being a brat Poltergeist.” Poltergeist shot Nightwing a surprised look and Nightwing only smirked at him.

“There’s not a lot I can do here, the place is very low tech,” came Oracle’s voice over the comm link.

“It’s fine,” Arsenal answered. They continued the search for Jason, employing night vision, infrared, and even x-ray. It wasn’t hard to navigate the place either; most the of the Joker’s thugs were ill trained to deal with them. But at long last...

“I see him! I found Jason!” Nightwing called over the comm link, spying him through a wall with his x-ray. He turned to Poltergeist and put his finger to his lips,.

“Stay quiet and stay out here. I need you to keep a lookout for anyone coming,” Nightwing whispered. Poltergeist have a curt nod, and Nightwing ignored everyone else’s plea to wait, that it could be a trap. Nightwing picked the lock on the door and made his way inside. There he saw Jason restrained in the same manner he’d found him in last time, but he appeared completely catatonic, drained of life.

“Jason? Jaybird, it’s me, it’s Dickie,” Dick said softly, pulling his mask up. He didn’t care about his identity in that moment; Jason was all that mattered. But when Dick looked into Jason’s eyes, his heart shattered. The man was alive, but...there was no life in his eyes. His eyes were swollen and red from crying and all Dick could think was _what did he do to you Jaybird?_

And then tears started to trail down Jason’s face again.

“Dickie...” he murmured. Dick framed the man’s face with his hands and tried to comfort him.

“I’m here Jaybird. We’re all here, we’re going to take you home.”

“Kaden...Kaden is dead,” he whispered, silent sobs wracking his body. Dick looked startled by the sudden comment, glancing back toward the door he’d come in through.

“No, Jaybird, Kaden is fine! Kaden is alive, and well, I promise! C’mon, we’ll go see him together,” Dick whispered softly, wiping the blood away from his nose and mouth. He pulled out a wingding and cut the barbed wire, draping Jason’s arm around his shoulders.

“Batman, come in. I’ve got him,” Nightwing said over the comm link. But he got no answer.

“Oracle,”

“I can’t contact Batman either. Arsenal, Red Robin, Speedy, all their comm links are down! Except Poltergeist,” Oracle replied.

“Poltergeist, do you hear me?!” Oracle called. There was a silence and the sound of a struggle and then...

“Oh he hears you just fine! Loud and clear!” came the Joker’s voice over the comm link. Dick’s blood ran cold as he pressed his mask back onto his face. He didn’t want to leave Jason, but he had to find the others.

“Jaybird, listen, I’m gonna go find the others,” he said softly, placing Jason down gingerly beside a nearby table, cluttered with blood tools. He felt the bile rise in this throat as he grabbed a gun off of the table and pressed it into Jason’s hands.

“Jaybird, please, look at me.” Jason’s eyes moved to Dick’s face, but they still looked so lifeless.

“Kaden is alive. Whatever the Joker told you, whatever he showed you,m it’s not real! And when this is all over, we’ll go home, the three of us, okay?” Dick said softly. Jason sighed and gave a nod, but he didn’t look like he believed it. But his grip on the gun tightened and as Dick went to leave, Jason grabbed his arm.

“I’m going to kill him, Dick,” he said in a low, but stern tone. Dick just stared at him, at a loss for words.

“Mark my words...I’m going to kill him.” Jason let go of his arm and Dick just stared at him in silence for a few moments before retreating from the room. He followed the tunnels and the Joker’s taunts and directions over his comm link. He gritted his teeth, because so help him, if the Joker hurt Kaden...he might actually kill him himself. He wasn’t a killer, but if he had to choose between his own morals and saving Kaden’s life, the choice was clear.

“Ah, there’s my least favorite vigilante!” The Joker taunted, his arm locked around Kaden’s throat, the blindfold discarded and a gun pressed against his head. 

“Let him go, Joker. You don’t want him,” Nightwing said in a low tone. The Joker cackled hysterically, waving the gun around as he spoke.

“On the contrary! I do! It’ll be much more dramatic if I just blow his little birdie brains out!” The Joker cackled, jamming the barrel of the gun against Kaden’s head. Nightwing flinched when he heard the teen grunt in pain, his heart racing.

“Where are the others?” he asked. The Joker grinned devilishly.

“Oh, tucked away not-so-safely inside the building and wired with explosives!” Nightwing growled as his mind began to try and formulate some kind of plan. The Joker laughed darkly and continued “brilliant plan though, wouldn’t you agree? I took one of Gotham’s greatest protectors and broke him! You see, madness, as you know, it just like gravity! All it takes is a little push!” The Joker laughed hysterically as he jammed the barrel of the gun against Kaden's head.

Suddenly, a gunshot rang throughout the night. Everyone was startled, including the Joker . The demented clown looked down at his shoulder and saw blood, then they looked toward the source and saw a very pissed of Jason Todd.

“I told you I was going to paint the walls with your blood. I keep my promises!” Jason growled, walking toward the Joker at a brusque pace as he fired over and over again. Just then, Batman swooped in and grabbed Kaden, bringing him over to Nightwing’s side, and tying the blindfold back on his face.

“Bruce?!” Nightwing whispered softly.

“I’ve had it with your fucking games, clown!” Jason roared as he kept pulling the trigger, stopping over the clown’s bullet riddled corpse. He kept pulling the trigger even after the chamber was empty and the gun just clicked and clicked. Arsenal grabbed his arm and Jason’s head snapped up in his direction, shooting him a wrathful glare. Arsenal didn’t even flinch, he just nodded toward Kaden. Jason turned and when his eyes fell upon his son, all his anger and rage dissipated instantly.

“Kaden,” he murmured, lips trembling as hew threw the gun aside and approached his son. Kaden took off his blind fold and moved toward his father.

“Kaden!” Jason cried out, grabbing his son and sinking to his knees, crying into the teen’s hair.

“I’m okay dad,” he said softly, hugging his father tightly. Nightwing stood beside them, tears I his own eyes and Jason looked up at him, teary eyes, and grabbed his arm, yanking him down, the three of them sharing a group hug, all of them crying, reunited at last.

Both Batmans, Bruce and Damian, approached the clown’s corpse. Even in death, he had that sick grin on his face.

“It’s finally over,” Bruce whispered, eyes narrowing as he looked down at the Joker in disgust. Damian pulled out a flare and looked toward his father.

“Not yet,” he murmured tossing it down and torching the clown’s corpse. The two of them watched as the Joker’s body went ablaze. Arsenal and Speedy joined them and Roy wrapped an arm around both their shoulders.

“Thanks for the save by the way,” he said with a smirk. Bruce snorted.

“I failed Jason last time. I just hope I made up for it this time,” he murmured. Arsenal turned him and pointed to the trio, Jason, Dick and Kaden, just hugging each other.

“I think you did.”


	13. Why Do We Fall?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason's recovery is slow, and nothing feels the same anymore. But he has his friends and family to help him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okey Dokey. So. Um. Kind of a crappy ending, sorry. xD I had no idea how I was going to end this story anyway, so I kind of winged it. Not my best work, but there it is, I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. ^^

The rest of the thugs following the Joker had been rounded up over the next few days, and Dick, Jason and Kaden went home. Things weren’t quite what the used to be and for Dick’s part, it was like living the nightmare all over again. He watched as Jason became distant, quiet, not himself, just like he was last time. And it broke his heart to see the man like that.

He made attempts at making things seem normal, but all his smalls, all his laughs, they were broken. Hollow. What he’d suffered through, compounded with the fact that he never truly dealt with it last time, had taken a major toll on him. But worst of all, the nightmares were back. Every night, Dick had to take Jason up because he’d be thrashing and moaning desperately in his sleep. And ever time, it cracked a little piece of his heart to see his husband suffer like that.

Kaden was affected more than either of them realized; his grades started to slip and he was spending less time doing the things he enjoyed and more time looking out for his dad. But the changes affected more than just their family.

With the Red Hood gone, Gotham erupted into chaos as the gangs started challenging each other for power. Gang wars erupted on a weekly basis, crime skyrocketed, and Gotham generally went to hell. They needed all hands on deck now, so Nightwing took some time away from Bludhaven and Red Robin returned to Gotham for a little while. It had gotten so bad, that Dick personally took Kaden too and from school. It was only now that everyone, not just their family, realized just how crucial The Red Hood’s work really was.

But they tried to focus on helping Jason recover, and Dick put his foot down this time about Jason talking to someone. It was heartbreaking to see Jason locking himself in his room for hours on end, just sketching or painting. Since Kaden came into his life, he hadn’t done it that much and it would have been nice to see him pick it back up if not for the circumstances.

* * * * *

Jason was in the batcave at Bruce’s behest. He wanted to talk to Jason, try and help him, but Jason kept insisting he was okay and that he just needed time, not that anyone believed him. So Jason stepped down into the batcave and looked around, a wave of nostalgia overcoming him. It didn’t last, because the Joker’s words came back to him; _“Oh come now, you don’t think it was just a coincidence that Batman happened to be in Crime Alley that day, all those years ago, did you? Your father going to jail, your mother overdosing, all me!”_

“You wanted to talk?” Jason asked casually, stopping beside Bruce who sat in front of the computer. Bruce looked up at him and gave him a nod. A silence settled between them, broken first by Bruce.

“Why do we fall, Jason?” Bruce asked in an even tone. Jason quirked an eyebrow and looked down at him, the two men meeting eyes. Bruce looked him in the eye and replied “so we can learn to pick ourselves back up.” Jason opened his mouth to speak, but Bruce silenced him, by reaching past him and grabbed a photo from nearby, a picture of Bruce as a kid with his parents.

“My father used to tell me that. When my parents died-” Bruce began, looking down at the picture, then up at Jason “-I never truly got back up. As loathe as I am to admit it, I’m still stuck in the past, still trying to pick myself up.” The man stood, moved past Jason and set the picture back down and moved across the cave, Jason following slowly behind him.

“The Joker...he told me he manipulated my entire life,” Jason said softly, eyes locked onto the ground. Bruce turned slightly to look at the man, listening intently.

“My father going to jail, my mother dying. Meeting you in Crime Alley. Even becoming Robin,” he said, jaw working as he looked at Bruce. Bruce stared into his eyes, and saw a mix of emotions, too many to count.

“My entire life...is a lie. Everything I am is the Joker’s doing,” he murmured. Bruce patted him on the shoulder and looked him in the eye, shaking his head.

“The Joker may have manipulated your life, Jason,” he began moving past the man and staring up at the computer screen. He turned his head and said to him “but the choices you make, the things you do are what defines you. Not the Joker. You chose to become Robin, to fight crime. You chose to become the Red Hood, to play the part of the Crime Lord to keep the peace in Gotham.” Jason turned to look at the man, and Bruce was smiling at him.

“You picked yourself back up when you fell. An you’ll pick yourself back up again when you’re ready. The Joker may have manipulated your life, but you’ve always been in control. Not him.” Jason stared at the man in silence. He didn’t know what to say. He swallowed hard, then hugged the man.

“Thank you, Bruce...”

* * * * *

That night, Nightwing was out patrolling Gotham with Batman and Red Robin, leaving Kaden alone with his father. He was extremely reluctant to do that, considering the nightmares, but he didn’t have a choice; all hell was breaking loose, another gang war having erupted in downtown Gotham. 

Kaden was sleeping soundly with Star at the foot of his bed when a nightmare struck. Kaden was woken to the sound of yelling. He bolted up in his bed and raced to his father’s room, Star hot on his trail. They found Jason thrashing and moaning desperately, fighting some kind of battle. Kaden rushed to his father’s side and tried to shake the man awake.

“Dad, dad! Wake up! Dad! It’s a dream!” Kaden shouted, trying to wake the man. It happened so quickly, purely instinctual, purely on muscle memory, but when Jason finally woke up, fully woke up, he looked around the room and his stomach dropped; he was holding a gun on Kaden.

“Fuck,” he ground out, tossing the gun across the room and pulling his son into a hug.

“Shit, Kaden, I’m so sorry. I’m so...so sorry,” he murmured. KAden sighed and pushed himself away from the man.

“I’m...okay dad, but...I think papa is right. You need to talk to someone,” Kaden said softly, a little shaken about what had just happened. Jason raked his hands through his hair and sent Kaden back off to bed. Star, however, stayed behind and when Jason lay back down, she hopped on on the bed and lay her head on his chest and whined at him a little. Jason chuckled a bit and scratched the dog’s ears.

“I’m okay girl.”

But he wasn’t okay. When Nightwing got back from patrol that night, he was gone.

And when morning came, Kaden came out to the kitchen to find his papa looking rather upset, and holding a piece of paper in his hands. He runned the sleep from his eyes as he pulled his t-shirt on.

“Papa, what’s wrong?” he asked. Dick looked up at him and sighed deeply, tossing the paper across the room.

“Your dad’s gone,” he murmured. Kaden stared at him wide-eyed and picked up the paper and read it.

_Dick and Kaden,_

_Sorry but I had to get away. I’m dangerous to you both like this so I’m taking of until I can get my head on straight. I’m sorry, love you both._

_Jason._

Kaden sighed deeply and ran a hand through his hair, tossing the paper onto the table. He rounded it and hugged his papa who hugged him back.

“He’ll be back.”

“I know.”

* * * * *

Another week or so passed and nobody had heard a word from Jason, so naturally, everyone was on edge. Again. All except for Dick and Kaden; by all that was right they both had every right to be worried, but strangely, they weren’t. Because they finally did receive word from him and the news was good. He had apparently taken up a temporary residence at one of his old safe houses and had been inviting Dinah over to talk to him, and things were going well.

Dick still missed him, and wished he were at home, but he was glad to hear he was doing okay. So when night came around and he went out on patrol as Nightwing, he found out just how well his husband was doing...

Nightwing headed downtown where reports that Black Mask, who’d taken advantage of the chaos to reclaim his previous power, was taking down the rest of the Joker’s gang. That was not surprising, since Black Mask and The Joker had a decades long rivalry going between them, and now that the clown was dead, Black Mask appeared to be cashing in.

Nightwing slipped past all the chaos past Black Mask’s men with the intention of confronting the man himself, but when he got there...

“Please no! I’ll do anything! I’ll leave Gotham! You can even pick the destination!” Black Mask pleaded as a masked vigilante held him by his jacket over the edge of the broken window, five stories up off of the ground. The vigilante was garbed in black and red Kevlar with black ceramic plates on his torso, shoulders, forearms and calves. He had on a black helmet with a tactical visor inside and had a black utility belt around his waist. But what caught his eye was the “Arkham” symbol on his chest and shoulders.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Black Mask, you piece of sub-human garbage. You thought you could muscle in on the Red Hood’s territory, take advantage of the chaos? Well, you thought wrong.” The man shook him a bit and Black Mask flinched noticeably.

“No! I’ll leave Gotham! Forever! You can even tell me where to go, I’ll go anywhere, just spare me!”

“How about you go to hell!” The man said in a low tone, dropping Black Mask.

“No!” Nightwing shouted, lunging for him, but the vigilante pulled out a grappling gun and fired it, the wire wrapping around Black Mask’s leg and catching him just a few few above the ground.

“Relax, I wasn’t going to kill him. Just scare him shitless,” the man said with a laugh. Nightwing’s eyes narrowed as he drew closer to the man.

“Jason?” he whispered. The man was silent for a moment while he undid the hook, looking out the window to watch Black Mask tumble the last few feet to the ground. He then turned to Nightwing and pulled off his helmet.

“Hello Dickie-bird.” Then Nightwing punched him. Jason stumbled back and groaned, rubbing his jaw.

“Okay, not the greeting I was expecting, but I may have deserved that.”

“May have, you asshole?!” Nightwing growled. Jason raised his hands defensively, but then the next thing he knew, Nightwing was pressing his lips against his own. He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around the man’s waist, deepening the kiss and pulling him close.

“But it’s good to have you back, Jaybird.” Jason smiled at him and gave a nod.

“It’s good to be back.”

* * * * *

Bruce, Dick, Jason, Tim, Damian, and Kaden were all gathered in the batcave to discuss the recent events, and the plans for the future. Jason had a lot of explaining to do, having scared the fuck out of everyone with his disappearance.

“Okay, first, let me just say I was never in any danger!” Jason said, raising his hands defensively.

“After everything we went through to save you, that was an asshole thing to do, Jason!” Tim snapped. He was usually level-headed and calm, but he was understandably angry.

“I know! But I was perfectly safe! I was staying in one of my old safe houses and...seeing Dinah with my...problems.”

“What about this new persona, dad? What is it? Who is it?” Kaden asked. Jason grinned then nodded toward Tim.

“Timbo over there came up with a brilliant idea to keep Gotham’s gangs in line. So there isn’t really any need for the Red Hod anymore,” Jason explained. Tim cleared his throat, shooting Jason a final glare.

“I suggested that Wayne Enterprises offers a substantial cash reward to all of the gangs who police their own neighborhoods and keep them safe,” Tim began. Bruce picked up from there.

“It was a clever idea, so I will be enacting it tomorrow. When it comes down to it, most of the gang violence is about money. If we offer them money to keep their own neighborhoods safe, they’ll just at the chance,” Bruce suggested. Kaden turned back to his father, who practically read his son’s mind.

“The Red Hood won’t be needed anymore, but being a vigilante, it’s part of who I am,” Jason began, crossing his arms over his chest. He sighed and raked a hand through his hair.

“I couldn’t give that up if I want to. But I couldn’t be the Red Hood anymore either...knowing the Joker...” Jason trailed off and the entire room grew eerily silent at the clown’s name. Jason cleared his throat and continued.

“Dinah made me go back, made me confront my fear. So she...took me back to Arkham. And then I remembered Batman,” Jason said, glancing over at Bruce.

“I took a page from Bruce’s playbook and turned my fear into a weapon and created my new persona,” Jason said smoothly, a grin on his face. Everyone was silent as they waited for it, then finally Damian grew impatient,

“Well, what is it?” he snapped. Jason snorted.

“I was pausing for dramatic effect!”

“Out with it!”

“Fine, fine!” Jason snapped. He cleared his throat and said “I’m going with ‘the Arkham Knight’.” Everyone was silent as they considered the name, but it was Kaden who spoke first. The teen grinned from ear to ear and looked over at his father.

“That sounds kind of bad ass, dad.” Jason chuckled in amusement and waved toward his son.

“See? Someone who can appreciate it!” Dick chuckled and kiss the man’s jaw but Jason wasn’t satisfied with that. So grabbed Dick and pulled him close, melting their lips together in a deep, passionate kiss.

“Now _that’s_ a kiss,” Jason said with a grin. Dick chuckled in amusement and pulled the man down for another. Kaden shielded his eyes.

“Ugh, dad, papa, that’s so gross!” The two men parted and laughed at their son as he made mock gagging noises.

“So Jason, what caused this quick change?” Bruce finally asked. Jason smiled and pulled Dick close, then Kaden.

“Well, I took your advice. You asked me ‘why do we fall’? Well, let’s just say I’m learning to get back up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And another story comes to a close. But I'm not quite done yet. Over the course of writing the last one, and this one, I got afuckton of prompts, and I don't know where to begin. So, I'll let you guys decide what you want to see next. ^^
> 
> Prompt 1: Kaden meets his mother (I'm not really sure how to approach this 1 tbh ^^;)
> 
> Prompt 2: Jason just being a dad
> 
> Prompt 3: (This one, I'm not so sure about, but it was prompted, so, meh) Jason's dad comes back to Gotham, having faked his own death to get a new start and now he wants to meet his grandson. 
> 
> Prompt 4: (Self prompt) Jason's birthday. I set it up back in chapter 2, but it somehow slipped through the cracks during the writing process. x.x
> 
> Prompt 5: "We'll handle it, they said. Don't worry, they said. It'll be fun, they sai- oh no wait, they didn't."
> 
> And of course, as always, feel free to submit your own prompts. Majority rules! And Thanks for reading!


End file.
